Alright, ( We’re meeting at The Comic Strip @ West Edmonton Mall on Monday @ 7. I’ll have copies of my Novel. E MAIL ME if you want one please. I’m working on having our class on Wednesday next week and the week after the long week end.) Back to business, off the top, I want to thank all of you for working as hard as you have been. The results you’re looking for are approaching you at the speed of your certainty. Close your eyes and visualize the results you desire. Keep seeing them, know them and now, work for them, record your rehearsals, journal, write out your story and look AT THE KEY WORDS in each sentence and ask the vulnerable questions, explore your secrets attached to the key words.
HOME WORK FOR CLASS 2:
1) Choose a 4 to 5 minute story where you’re vulnerable. Locate the emotional truth of your story and write that on top the page. Let it be the compass of your writing. ( These stories carry our personality signature, they reveal us, they also create our market brand.)
2) Look at the key words in each sentence, and locate the emotion and truth of the word. ( I’ll give an example.)
3) Create a TAG for each sentence. ( Write a JOKE that’s created out of the sentence.)
4) Make sure your OPENING and CLOSING jokes are the ones you like the most.)
5) Remember to write POOL near the bottom of the page. Any ideas, fragments, story ideas, tags, anything that gets you’re attention, write it down under POOL. You may be able to use these ideas now or later.
EXAMPLE: ‘Emotionally, alcoholics are the same age the day they began drinking as the day they quit.”
(I like this premise because it has EMOTION and emotion is the fuel of comedy writing. Now, look at all the KEY WORDS in this sentence: EMOTIONALLY, ALCOHOLICS, SAME, AGE, DAY,BEGAN, DRINKING, QUIT)
Right away I have something for my POOL. I can change ALCOHOLIC FOR ADDICTION. This way, I can mine other emotional veins.
1) Choose the key word that connects to you in your premise. I’m starting with EMOTIONALLY.
(The reason we get stuck or writer’s block is because we’re coming from OUR PERSPECTIVE. REMEMBER: record your premise, listen to it, put it in a circle and write names, other people, a pet, God, anything that isn’t you and ask the vulnerable questions from their perspective. )
* I’m asking, what are the implications of being stuck emotionally? The world grows around them as they stay the same, it’s why middle aged men date 20 somethings, what would a 40 something like if he was emotionally 15?
I have an idea! They bubble up as you explore the truth in the KEY WORD. Write it out as you think it. You can articulate it better later in YOUR JOURNAL, OR RECORD IT and listen to it back, or play with it IN YOUR JOKE BOOK.
*EMOTIONALLY: “The reason a 40 year old who’s 19 emotionally can’t relate to a real teen is. One thinks Radioactive by Imagine Dragons is music, the other, anything by Twisted Sister.”
I can play with this! REMEMBER: Pick a story you care about, don’t worry about the funny, as long as you care about it the funny will come.
E MAIL ME if you have questions: paulsveen@shaw.ca