THE WRITERS' ROOM
NEW COURSE STARTING 16th FEBRUARY
Sessions will be 90mins long at 4pm UK time:
Sunday February 16th
Sunday February 23rd
[- WEEK OFF DUE TO DIARY COMMITMENTS -]
Sunday March 9th
Sunday March 16th
Sunday March 23rd
APPLY USING THE 'SIGN UP' BUTTON BELOW >
Sessions will be 90mins long at 4pm UK time:
Sunday February 16th
Sunday February 23rd
[- WEEK OFF DUE TO DIARY COMMITMENTS -]
Sunday March 9th
Sunday March 16th
Sunday March 23rd
APPLY USING THE 'SIGN UP' BUTTON BELOW >
I'm running an online course for writers, called THE WRITERS' ROOM.
It's a series of talks about the craft of writing, with discussions afterwards.
Like my book BE FUNNY OR DIE, the focus will be on comedy, but there will be more general advice for all forms of writing.
Though it will build on the ideas in the book, this will be a more practical course, designed specifically for writers, and people who want to harness writing craft in their work.
If you've been to one of my talks, and hung around for the Q&A or a chat after the signing, it's going to be a bit like that, but with more opportunity for one-on-one attention, and loads more hands-on tips.
With fewer opportunities to get into writers' rooms, and more remote working for all of us, this is an attempt to simulate the communal learning environment that I had myself, meeting other writers and picking up advice from someone who's done this a lot.
You could think of it is a chance to talk, share and learn. Or you could see it as my valiant attempt to simulate the experince of an after-work pint with Barry Cryer – my own comedy boot camp – but with fewer menthol cigarettes and shaggy dog stories.
There will be 5 x WEEKLY 90 MINUTE SESSIONS, on a SUNDAY afternoon, remotely over Zoom.
Each session will be a talk from me of around 45 minutes, and then be thrown open for a chat.
Spaces will be limited for each run of the course, to enable us to have workable discussions.
The sessions will be recorded, and links shared with course members, so you can re-watch, or catch up if you missed one.
The cost is £350 (+VAT) for the full course.
That's 5 x 90 minute online sessions. (Which is cheaper than therapy, and there'll probably be more jokes.)
Register your interest using this email form:
It's a series of talks about the craft of writing, with discussions afterwards.
Like my book BE FUNNY OR DIE, the focus will be on comedy, but there will be more general advice for all forms of writing.
Though it will build on the ideas in the book, this will be a more practical course, designed specifically for writers, and people who want to harness writing craft in their work.
If you've been to one of my talks, and hung around for the Q&A or a chat after the signing, it's going to be a bit like that, but with more opportunity for one-on-one attention, and loads more hands-on tips.
With fewer opportunities to get into writers' rooms, and more remote working for all of us, this is an attempt to simulate the communal learning environment that I had myself, meeting other writers and picking up advice from someone who's done this a lot.
You could think of it is a chance to talk, share and learn. Or you could see it as my valiant attempt to simulate the experince of an after-work pint with Barry Cryer – my own comedy boot camp – but with fewer menthol cigarettes and shaggy dog stories.
There will be 5 x WEEKLY 90 MINUTE SESSIONS, on a SUNDAY afternoon, remotely over Zoom.
Each session will be a talk from me of around 45 minutes, and then be thrown open for a chat.
Spaces will be limited for each run of the course, to enable us to have workable discussions.
The sessions will be recorded, and links shared with course members, so you can re-watch, or catch up if you missed one.
The cost is £350 (+VAT) for the full course.
That's 5 x 90 minute online sessions. (Which is cheaper than therapy, and there'll probably be more jokes.)
Register your interest using this email form:
TESTIMONIALS FROM PARTICIPANTS
“The Writers' Room Course with Joel was an absolute delight and just what I was looking for. Just the right balance of informative, useful, entertaining and practical, with realism and openness about all things writing and comedy, and a personal touch that inspired the whole group.” -- Rachel Riley
"The Writers' Room Course is an absolute treasure trove of insight, advice and insider knowledge about the world of comedy and writing. It is delivered by Joel with supreme warmth and genuine passion, and anyone who cares about comedy will better themselves by signing up. The course has sparked a brand new comedy script idea I'm very excited about, encouraged me back to a world of regular writing, and given me a diverse group of like-minded people to share a journey with as we continue to meet up virtually now that the course is finished. I could not have asked for more from this course." -- James Stewart
"I come from a non-professional writing, non-comedy background (and what could be more boring than finance academia?), but I’ve always been curious about how comedy works. Joel's course was a fantastic experience. It goes into the 'mechanics' of comedy, making you feel like you're getting a real behind-the-scenes look at how humour really works. What I appreciated most was that you don’t need to be a writer or even aspire to be one to fully enjoy and benefit from the course. The sessions were not only insightful but also a lot of fun, especially with the lively discussions and the chance to interact with other participants. It was a perfect blend of learning and laughter, and I’d highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in comedy, regardless of their background!" -- Cláudia Custódio, Professor of Finance at Imperial College
“Whether you’re looking to learn the fundamentals of comedy-writing, or just want to know what makes comedy tick, I believe the best solution by far, is enrolling in “The Writers’ Room,” as taught by Joel Morris. Not only is Joel an absolute delight and full of varied wisdom, but has also refreshingly upgraded the comedy class format- the first half of a session consists of a breakdown in one of the fundamental aspects of comedy, led by Joel, then the latter half is opened up to the class for discussion and queries. Anyone can ask questions, offer suggestions, and support one another in a friendly, engaging environment. So, what are you waiting for, a written message in the stars? Go check out Joel’s website now!” -- Emily Erblich
“The Writers' Room Course with Joel was an absolute delight and just what I was looking for. Just the right balance of informative, useful, entertaining and practical, with realism and openness about all things writing and comedy, and a personal touch that inspired the whole group.” -- Rachel Riley
"The Writers' Room Course is an absolute treasure trove of insight, advice and insider knowledge about the world of comedy and writing. It is delivered by Joel with supreme warmth and genuine passion, and anyone who cares about comedy will better themselves by signing up. The course has sparked a brand new comedy script idea I'm very excited about, encouraged me back to a world of regular writing, and given me a diverse group of like-minded people to share a journey with as we continue to meet up virtually now that the course is finished. I could not have asked for more from this course." -- James Stewart
"I come from a non-professional writing, non-comedy background (and what could be more boring than finance academia?), but I’ve always been curious about how comedy works. Joel's course was a fantastic experience. It goes into the 'mechanics' of comedy, making you feel like you're getting a real behind-the-scenes look at how humour really works. What I appreciated most was that you don’t need to be a writer or even aspire to be one to fully enjoy and benefit from the course. The sessions were not only insightful but also a lot of fun, especially with the lively discussions and the chance to interact with other participants. It was a perfect blend of learning and laughter, and I’d highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in comedy, regardless of their background!" -- Cláudia Custódio, Professor of Finance at Imperial College
“Whether you’re looking to learn the fundamentals of comedy-writing, or just want to know what makes comedy tick, I believe the best solution by far, is enrolling in “The Writers’ Room,” as taught by Joel Morris. Not only is Joel an absolute delight and full of varied wisdom, but has also refreshingly upgraded the comedy class format- the first half of a session consists of a breakdown in one of the fundamental aspects of comedy, led by Joel, then the latter half is opened up to the class for discussion and queries. Anyone can ask questions, offer suggestions, and support one another in a friendly, engaging environment. So, what are you waiting for, a written message in the stars? Go check out Joel’s website now!” -- Emily Erblich
CONSULTANCY, SCRIPT EDITING etc
- If you're part of the course, I'll also make myself available to have a look at your own work (dependent on length...) and give feedback, notes and constructive advice, for a one-off fee.
- We can discuss the rates for this sort of one-on-one consultancy on a case-by-case basis. It's obviously going to be different for a sketch than it is for a novel... But I'm happy to offer the sort of work, which I normally only do for production companies.
- (If you're a professional prodco or publisher, go through my AGENTS...)
WHAT'S IN THE COURSE?
Here's what we'll be talking about:
WEEK 1
SHARE THE JOKE
WEEK 2
HOW COMEDY WORKS
WEEK 3
WHO'S IN COMEDY?
WEEK 4
HOW COMEDY IS BUILT
WEEK 5
HOW TO WRITE
SHARE THE JOKE
- Welcome to the business. Sit down. Have a biscuit*.
- The basics of comedy and joke craft.
- How to turn things that make you laugh into things that make as many other people as possible laugh too.
- Learning the core skills. A summary of what any pro comedy writer knows, but maybe doesn't know that they know.
- The language and terminology of the job.
- The fundamentals that never fail.
WEEK 2
HOW COMEDY WORKS
- Refining the specific crafts of comedy that separate it from other writing (drama, documentary, shopping lists*).
- What is going on when you try and make other people laugh.
- How to learn how to do it better.
- Working alone, working with an audience, working in collaboration.
- The performer vs the writer. The two different skillsets. Understanding the other part of the job.
- Assembling your professional toolkit to make people laugh, rather than tense.
- Unless that's what you want. And don't worry, we'll discuss how to do that, if that's your bag, you cruel monster.
WEEK 3
WHO'S IN COMEDY?
- The importance of character and voice in comedy.
- Who are you? And who are the people saying your jokes?
- How to find your own voice.
- How to establish patterns of expectation and recognition.
- Exploring how audience expectation interacts with character dynamics.
- Building recognisable characters, and allowing the audience to follow them.
WEEK 4
HOW COMEDY IS BUILT
- The importance of structure. How to build the unbreakable scaffolding to hold your jokes up.
- The secret of keeping an audience engaged: argument, stakes, shape, theme, plot, story.
- How these work for stand-up, sitcom, sketch, whatever... and how they work with anything.
- Write a more satisfying email, the perfect presentation, an impressive speech, an eye-catching advertisement, more engaging copy. Make your social media updates more entertaining. Pen a truly gripping birthday card. Send the milkman a note he can't put down.
- Get someone's attention, and reward them, with solid technique to get your ideas across.
WEEK 5
HOW TO WRITE
- The everyday nuts and bolts of writing.
- Practices and habits. Schedules and discipline. Focus and inspiration. Time management.
- Software, equipment, stationery. Different approaches.
- Drafting and re-drafting. How to structure, how to plan, how to edit.
- Feedback, notes, and your own response. How to collaborate to improve your work.
- Insane-seeming tricks to break writing blocks. Killing your darlings, fighting for your favourites.
- How to get out of holes. How to fix a broken story. How to polish a turd, and when not to.
- Pre-flight checks. What to do before showing your work to someone else.