How to Write Funny Characters: The Complete List of the 40 Character Archetypes of Comedy and How to Use Them to Craft Funny Dialogue and Captivate Audiences

I learned so much! I feel like I can never thank the author enough for such a high quality book... So rich, dense, complete! Being good at jokes is one thing, but being funny in novels is a completely different art, I had no idea how to achieve it, and now I feel like I get it :-) Thank you!

When I first started this book I was sceptical. I don't think writing comedy is a step by step, planned out, analytical process. It takes away the fun and spontaneity. However the book outlines very clearly the common comedic characters that are found in literature and how the words will flow once you have set up a good character. This would be a good text book for a class on creative writing. It was well written and while I think writers shouldn't get too bogged down in over planning their books and need to leave room for inspiration I think it is a great tool to have to reference.

One of the most helpful and clarifying books on entertainment I've ever read. It goes beyond comedy because it makes us understand PEOPLE better. Thank you Scott!

I’ve read a lot of books about writing, about stories, about making characters. Some books are for beginners and feel so basic that you learn nothing from them, some books are for expert market-focused-wanna-make-money writers and you feel like it burry you under a sea of mandatory tropes and beats... then there is “How to write a funny character” and, to borrow the words of Goldilocks, “it’s just right”.That’s a book I see myself keeping on hand while I create and play with my characters. Referring to it any time I need to make sure I don’t loose my way and forget what the essence of my characters should feel like or just because I need a quick side character to spice things up or offer some contrast to my crew.I was extremely pleasantly surprised. Even with my previous readings, I learned quite a few important things that had escaped me from other books but also felt like the basics were covered clearly without feeling like a broken record.Either you want to write funny or not, this is a great book on character building for any and every art forms.

It's a great appraisal of the role of characters in story-telling (and yes, all storytelling, from advertisements to operas) and how the archetypes come into play for a well-structured and amusing narrative.Given we are already dissecting story archetypes (as "character" is itself a lens through which story ideas are reviewed), it's a very adept dissection of what makes stories work. It does the work well for all characterisation as a concept (though this book is specifically skewed towards humour writing).A great book, to be revisited often during future writing exercises!

Of the 4 books in this series, I read this third as the topic of writing characters that will make you laugh was a question I have had for a long time. And Scott Dickers did not disappoint me with this one.In fact, it took matter further. But differentiating between comic and dramatic characters, he's helped me fine tune my dramatic characters by knowing how they are not funny, and how characters meant to make you laugh are funny even if they are not ... as it's their context and world-view that makes them clash with our expectations.So, best you stop reading this and get into BOOK 4 because it's Scott Dickers who has the answers, not me.