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:

Gene Perret says “not all audiences have a sense of humor about all topics.” Take an aspect of yourself that may be sensitive for you or for other people with the same characteristic — a facial feature, a belief, a funny walk.

Now, brainstorm visual images that exaggerate that characteristic to a comic degree: eyelashes so long they sweep spiderwebs from the ceiling, or a nose so drippy the owner walks around holding a bucket to his chest. If any of your images suggest a complete joke, that’s great, but focus on coming up with striking and exaggerated imagery.

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.