Comedy Masterclass

Eric Maisel (Fearless Creating for Comedy Writers)

Danielle Krage interviews Dr Eric Maisel. Eric is the author of more than 50 books - many focused on creativity and the creative life - including Fearless Creating, Deep Writing, The Power of Daily Practice and The Magic of Sleep Thinking. He also writes the ‘Rethinking Mental Health’ blog for Psychology Today and is a regular contributor to Mad in America.
 
In this conversation, Eric shares insights and practical strategies for writers engaged in a creative process, that by its very nature is likely to include anxiety, doubt and uncertainty.
 
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
00:55 The Role of Anxiety in the Creative Process
06:19 Using Breathing and Incantations to Center and Ground
07:36 Accessing Flow State in Small Increments of Time
09:58 The Importance of a Morning Writing Practice
11:54 Harnessing the Power of Sleep Thinking
13:50 Embracing Mistakes and the Doubt in the Creative Process
15:17 Existential Intelligence and the Search for Meaning
25:44 Pushing Back Against Authoritarianism and Mental Health Labels
30:38 Overcoming Self-Censorship and Negative Thoughts
35:56 Strategic Goal Setting and Productivity
38:05 Upcoming Books and Projects
 
Links
https://ericmaisel.com
 
You can find the transcript at:
https://comedymasterclass.com
And Danielle’s socials here:
https://twitter.com/daniellekrage
https://www.instagram.com/dekrage
https://bsky.app/profile/daniellekrage.bsky.social
 

Joanna Penn (Writing the Shadow)

Danielle Krage interviews Joanna Penn. Joanna is an award-nominated New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with more than 40 books across multiple genres – non-fiction and fiction (under J.F.Penn). Joanna is also a podcaster, international speaker, and award-winning creative entrepreneur. This conversation dives into Joanna’s recent book, ‘Writing the Shadow: Turn Your Inner Darkness into Words’.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
01:38 Understanding the Shadow
05:11 Embracing Your Weirdness
07:52 Pushing Boundaries in Writing
09:26 Exploring Family and Relationships
11:17 The Shadow in Relationships and Writing
15:09 Continuing Journey of Integration
19:24 Percolating the Shadow into Writing
21:27 Exploring the Shadow in Characters
23:26 The Shadow in Professional Lives
26:11 Tackling Fear and Judgment
27:07 Unpublished Work and Building an Author Platform
29:10 Using Email Lists for Fiction
31:49 Showing Elements of Yourself as a Creator
33:51 Examples of Memorable Characters and Their Shadows
38:12 Where to Find More About Joanna's Work
 
You can find Joanna’s work here:
https://www.thecreativepenn.com/the-creative-penn-podcast-for-authors
https://www.youtube.com/@thecreativepenn
https://jfpenn.com
https://www.thecreativepenn.com/writing-the-shadow
 
You can find the transcript at:
https://comedymasterclass.com
 
And Danielle’s socials here:
https://twitter.com/daniellekrage
https://www.instagram.com/dekrage
https://bsky.app/profile/daniellekrage.bsky.social
 

Rosie Wilby (Using humour to unpack challenging questions)

Danielle Krage interviews Rosie Wilby. Rosie is an award-winning comedian and creator of the global hit podcast and book The Breakup Monologues. She is also the author of ‘Is Monogamy Dead?’ and toured a trilogy of solo shows investigating the psychology of love. In this interview, Rosie shares insights for how we can use humour to unpack challenging questions.
 
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
01:04 Using Humour to Explore Love and Relationships
04:08 The Structure and Themes of the Book
05:20 Writing Non-Fiction vs Fiction
06:17 The Ethics of Comedy and Vulnerability
07:42 Navigating Comedy Clubs and Diverse Voices
09:15 Balancing Personal Stories and Boundaries
09:50 Writing During the Pandemic and Self-Care
11:20 Exploring Breakups and Identity
12:17 The Challenges of Diverse Voices in Comedy
13:33 Finding Voice on the Page
14:25 Translating Humour to the Page
15:58 Seeking Out Unusual Experiences for Writing
19:27 Crafting Engaging Scenes and Details
20:40 Listening and Observing
21:27 Structural Formats in Writing
22:24 Writing Dialogue
23:14 Writing Non-Fiction vs Fiction
24:06 Writing Challenges
25:12 Exploring Identity and Relationships
26:11 The Discomfort of Comedy
27:09 Writing Endings
28:17 Using Science in Comedy
29:43 Testing and Organizing Work
31:35 Comedy Recommendations
34:47 Where to find Rosie Wilby’s work
 
You can find Rosie Wilby here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1472982282
https://breakupmonologues.wordpress.com
https://twitter.com/rosiewilby
https://www.instagram.com/breakupmonologues
https://www.threads.net/@breakupmonologues
https://www.tiktok.com/@rosiewilbyauthor
 
You can find the transcript at:
https://comedymasterclass.com
 
And Danielle’s socials here:
https://twitter.com/daniellekrage
https://www.instagram.com/dekrage
https://bsky.app/profile/daniellekrage.bsky.social

Ruth Leigh (Writing comic characters)

Danielle Krage interviews novelist Ruth Leigh. They focus on her delightful Isabella M Smugge series, and what it takes to create a comic character that you can develop and sustain across multiple books. Ruth is also the author of the Jane Austen-inspired book A Great Deal of Ingenuity, and The Little Book of Unexpected Poetry.
 
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
01:57 Origin Story of Isabella M. Smugge
06:48 Creating a Funny and Complex Character
09:45 Developing a Series and Balancing Character Arcs
11:34 Turning Up the Comedy in the Setting
14:06 Using Conflict to Drive the Story
17:30 The Importance of Setting in Comedy
20:23 Writing Process and Balancing Comedy and Heart
25:23 Favourite Comic Influences
29:43 Prompts and Exercises for Writing Comedy
32:19 Building a Writing Community and Getting Feedback
34:38 The Impact of Reader Feedback
35:27 Real People and Names in the Books
36:47 Overcoming Fear of Events
37:31 Starting Small and Building Confidence
38:58 Finding Comfortable Opportunities
39:06 Where to Find More about Ruth Leigh
Links
https://www.ruthleighwrites.co.uk
https://www.instagram.com/ruthleighwrites
https://twitter.com/Ruthleighwrites
https://www.tiktok.com/@ruthleighwrites
 
You can find the transcript at:
https://comedymasterclass.com
 
And Danielle’s socials here:
https://twitter.com/daniellekrage
https://www.instagram.com/dekrage
https://bsky.app/profile/daniellekrage.bsky.social
 

End of Season 5 (Back with you on March 6th)

Hey lovely listeners. That's the end of Season 5. I'll be back on March 6th with more fabulous Comedy Masterclass guests. 

Scott Dikkers (How to Write Funny)

Danielle Krage interviews Scott Dikkers, founder of the renowned humour site, The Onion. Scott is a New York Times and Amazon best-selling humour author. He has won a Peabody Award, the Thurber Prize for American Humor and over 30 Webby awards. Plus, he has consulted for top entertainment companies like NBC, Comedy Central, and Pixar.
Scott’s How to Write Funny series is packed with helpful insights and frameworks for getting humour onto the page. In this episode, he shares both craft and career advice for comedy writers.  
 
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
02:21 Building a Brand and the Importance of Stick-to-it-ness
04:18 Crafting Reliable and Repeatable Quality
08:31 Balancing the Clown and the Editor
12:39 The Importance of Titles and Introducing Comedy in Writing
22:36 Misconceptions about Writing Comedy
30:31 Favourite Types of Characters to Write
33:13 Satire and its Impact
36:00 Where to Find Scott Dikkers
 
Links
https://howtowritefunny.com/
https://scottdikkers.substack.com/
https://twitter.com/ScottDikkers
https://www.instagram.com/itsscottdikkers
 
You can find the transcript at:
https://comedymasterclass.com
 
And Danielle’s socials here:
https://twitter.com/daniellekrage
https://www.instagram.com/dekrage
https://bsky.app/profile/daniellekrage.bsky.social

Writing advice from my favourite ghost (Ray Bradbury)

In this episode, Danielle shares the writing advice of Ray Bradbury, a writer who has influenced her own writing process. She introduces Bradbury and his book 'Zen and the Art of Writing', highlighting his practical and joyful approach to writing. Danielle discusses two main practices recommended by Bradbury: the 52 Short Story Challenge and the Thousand Nights Challenge. She shares her own experiences with these challenges and offers tips for making them doable and enjoyable.
 
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Ray Bradbury
02:08 The 52 Short Story Challenge
15:38 The Thousand Nights Challenge
23:12 Committing to Challenges
 
SHOW NOTES
Zen and the Art of Writing: Essays on Creativity: https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Art-Writing-Essays-Creativity/dp/1877741094
An Evening with Ray Bradbury 2001: https://youtu.be/_W-r7ABrMYU?si=kGDIee3oMGC51wTY
https://daniellekrage.com/10-things-i-learned-from-writing-52-short-stories
https://daniellekrage.com/christmas-even/
https://daniellekrage.com/its-hard-being-an-avenger/
https://daniellekrage.com/this-isnt-a-love-story/
https://daniellekrage.com/the-new-life-church/
https://daniellekrage.com/the-last-bite/
https://daniellekrage.com/it-was-for-cerberus/
https://daniellekrage.com/1000-nights/
https://poets.org
https://tetw.org
 

Julia McKenzie (Getting Audio Comedy Commissioned)

Julia McKenzie is the Commissioning Editor for Comedy and Entertainment at Radio 4, and prior to that was Creative Director of BBC Studios Audio for 7 years, specialising in comedy and entertainment production.
In this conversation, Julia provides helpful insights for comedy writers who want to understand the audio landscape and find ways to get their work produced.
00:00 Introduction and Background
02:06 Starting in Audio and Comedy
08:11 Working with Producers
13:44 Commissioning Process
19:55 Audio Comedy Landscape
27:56 Pilots and Evaluation
33:36 Audio Formats
38:16 Favourite Comedy Shows
39:44 Recommendations and Resources
40:47 TV Recommendations
41:39 Fresh Take on Narration
43:15 Where to Find More
 
SHOWNOTES:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning
Jokes feed: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001tzf5
BBC Sounds app: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/help/questions/getting-started-with-bbc-sounds/sounds-intro
https://twitter.com/juliaamckenzie
Comedy of the Week: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02pc9x6/episodes/downloads
Friday Night Comedy: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02pc9pj
https://twitter.com/dmsareopenbbc

Lynne Parker (Founder of Funny Women)

Danielle Krage interviews Lynne Parker, Founder and Chief Executive of Funny Women. She created the organisation over 20 years ago now and has made such a contribution to the comedy community, including producing the Funny Women Awards. In this conversation, Lynne shares invaluable advice for women building their careers and networks in comedy.   
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
03:10 The Creation of Funny Women
09:45 The Importance of Funny Women
12:24 Supporting Women in Comedy
17:48 Challenges in the Comedy Industry
23:47 Mentorship and Networking
30:18 Taking Comedy into the Workplace
37:10 The Value of Remote Work and Social Interaction
38:29 Creating Fun and Engaging Work Environments
39:52 Running Events for Women in the Workplace
41:46 The Power of Comedy in the Workplace
43:31 Overcoming Gender Stereotypes in the Workplace
45:13 Representation of Women in Comedy
46:42 Challenging Age Stereotypes
48:38 Being Independent Thinkers
49:22 Finding More Information
 
You can find out more about Lynne Parker and her work here:
https://funnywomen.com
https://www.herlarious.co.uk
https://twitter.com/funnywomen
https://twitter.com/FunnyWomenLynne
https://www.instagram.com/funny_women
20 years of Funny Women:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001qszl
 
You can find the transcript at:
https://comedymasterclass.com
 
And Danielle’s socials here:
https://twitter.com/daniellekrage
https://www.instagram.com/dekrage
https://bsky.app/profile/daniellekrage.bsky.social
 

Fran Hill (Observational Humour)

Danielle Krage interviews author Fran Hill about ways to develop your observational humour skills as a writer. Fran is a former English teacher, and had a monthly satirical column about education in the Times Educational Supplement. She further shared her experiences in diary form in her memoir ‘Miss, What Does Incomprehensible Mean?' And she published her novel, ‘Cuckoo in the Nest’ in 2023.  
 
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
01:19 Starting the Satirical Column
03:09 Observational Humour and Learning
07:30 Transition to Writing
10:26 Discovering the Craft of Writing
11:17 Honing Observational Skills
15:00 Exaggeration and Specific Detail
19:19 Writing Poetry for Special Occasions
24:20 Challenges of Writing Fiction
28:30 Observation, Hypervigilance, and Comedy
34:34 Crafting Poems for Others
38:16 Writing with a Macro Perspective
41:07 The Inspiration for Character Development
41:24 The Power of Setting
42:14 Continual Learning and Growth
42:32 Where to Find More of Fran Hill's Work
 
You can find out more about Fran Hill and her work here:
https://www.franhill.co.uk
https://linktr.ee/franhill123
https://twitter.com/franhill123
https://www.instagram.com/franhill123
 
You can find the transcript at:
https://comedymasterclass.com
 
And Danielle’s socials here:
https://twitter.com/daniellekrage
https://www.instagram.com/dekrage
https://bsky.app/profile/daniellekrage.bsky.social