Writing can be fun — and funny. Gene Perret is a master of classic humor, and in Comedy Writing Step by Step he coaches the reader from a blank sheet of paper all the way to developing a standup routine. We’re going to adapt a few exercises from the book, and today’s exercise is one of them.

For today’s ten-minute writing exercise:

A “Tom Swiftie” is a classic joke form that exploits a second meaning for an adverb to make a punchline. A few examples are:

• “I dove into the pool and cracked my head,” he said shallowly.
• “I can’t march anymore,” the soldier said haltingly.
• “I have a bigger piano than this,” she said grandly.

For ten minutes, write as many Tom Swifties as you can. Starting with the adverb does help.

Our themes this month are:

• Love in all its forms
• Dialogue
• Comedy Writing Step by Step by Gene Perret

We will also write a complete work of flash fiction together in a week from Feb 17 – Feb 23. No pre-work needed, and as always, zero homework outside of our ten minutes a day. This month we’ll use Dan Harmon’s story circles method to plan out our stories.