Tony Kirkwood (Constable & Robinson) 2014, 194pp, RRP $19.99
Now is a great time to be a comedy writer, according to Tony Kirkwood. Even better, you don’t even have to be funny all the time – you just have to be persistent and have lots of belief and be committed to coming up with idea after idea. Not everything you write, Kirkwood explains, will be funny. 
Sounds simple, right? It could be, but you have to have the application. This book will give you that nudge. It is a handy, readable and no-nonsense guide to writing comedy, and is packed with ways to be recognised, commissioned and a whole host of other useful resources. The author breaks down the comedy genres but concentrates on sketches, jokes and sitcoms, deconstructing these milieus and explaining how comedy works.
Kirkwood, an English writer and actor, places a big focus on British comedy. The avenues he suggests for commissions are UK-centric, as are his examples of successful shows and writers. But the principles can be applied to any writer writing for any country.
This would be a good book for anyone needing confidence and ideas in starting out as a comedy writer.
Jenny Thompson
This title is available through Murdoch Books and Allen & Unwin. Click here to purchase your copy.
