Online | Nonfiction | Open-Genre | Master Class

2-Week Online Humor Master Class: Tragedy Plus Time

Many great writers have said it: You get no points for living; you must bring art to experience and dick jokes to art.

Depression and anxiety, rape culture and trauma: these examples of dark topics are hard to read about and harder to write about—yet there are a lot of ways to pull it off. Humor can get your same point and feelings across in a more palatable and profound way. People listen to a joke when they may ignore a sob story or think piece or rant, so in this class we’ll turn tragedy into comedy. If you can’t say something straight (if it comes off as too preachy, saccharine, confessional, or harrowing), then say it slant.

To repurpose tragedy we’ll interrogate how other writers do it and discuss the many tools to render darkness lighter: structure, speaker, analogy, headlines, verbal acrobatics, time & space, and more, a lot more.

David Levithan’s The Lover’s Dictionary uses an unconventional structure to tell an unlove story (in dictionary definitions). In “Fragments,” an essay from Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture, Aubrey Hirsch elucidates rape culture in a series of math problems. In The Answers, Catherine Lacey plays with language, syntax, and punctuation to pull off a scene of sexual assault unlike any you’ve ever read. In “How to Move to New York; or, The Human Centipede,” award-deserving writer Elissa Bassist (me) uses analogy and pop culture as a vehicle to discuss life-threatening depression.

There will be two assignments. 

1. To draft a tragedy (300-1,000 words not to be shared in class; write about a break-up, an episode of depression, a history of anxiety, trauma, near-death experiences, etc.--it can be a work-in-progress, an old essay in need of new life, even a Facebook rant/Twitter thread/email that may be something more). 

2. To rework the tragedy into a comedy (or at least a more entertaining tragedy) using new writing devices (500-1,000 words that we will workshop). We’ll brainstorm and pitch in class to get started. And we’ll talk submission, publication, and coping strategies that involve food.

This class is perfect for writers who work across genres (fiction, nonfiction, humor, serious) or want to learn how. Our ultimate goal will be to make readers laugh while breaking their hearts. Happy endings will not be accepted.

Class meetings will be held over video chat, using Zoom accessed from your private class page. While you can use Zoom from your browser, we recommend downloading the desktop client so you have access to all platform features.

A full-ride scholarship to this class will be awarded to one BIPOC and/or non-binary writer, sponsored by an anonymous, grateful former student of Elissa’s. To apply, please send stella.cabot_wilson@catapult.co your bio and a 250-word statement on why taking this class is important to you and your writing by Monday, November 9th, with the subject line "Humor Writing Scholarship."

COURSE TAKEAWAYS:

- Introduction to different writing approaches and how to go dark in a creative and/or silly way

- Instruction on thesis, structure, speaker, language, introspection, and comedic tools & tricks to transform one’s writing

- Lessons on how to engage readers and hone a singular voice

- 10% discount on all future Catapult classes

COURSE EXPECTATIONS:

Write two pieces and workshop one. In addition to in-class brainstorming and pitching, there will be one mid-week writing exercise: Take a beloved paragraph from a published work and make it your own by replacing each noun/verb/adjective, etc. with your own while keeping the original punctuation and word count.

Elissa Bassist

Elissa Bassist is the editor of the column “Funny Women” on The Rumpus and the author of Hysterical, a tragicomic memoir published by Hachette. Her writing appears in The New York Times, Marie Claire, Creative Nonfiction, and more, including the best-seller Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture, ed. by Roxane Gay. She teaches writing nationally and is probably her therapist's favorite.

Testimonials

“Elissa is too good for most anybody.”

Bill Murray hijacking her Tinder

“Love your work on The Rumpus! You really do have quite a special, strong, funny voice. I LOVE YOUR WRITING! Have I not made that clear?”

Jill Soloway

“This class taught me so much about humor and also probably made me a better person (for learning how to see the humor in people). Before Elissa’s class I didn't really understand the value of spending time and energy on writing genres that aren't your primary interest. In her class I learned about using humor to write about sad stuff, which I'd never attempted before."

former student

“Had a lot of fun with the class, and for the first time, I feel like I can write funny things (though I've always believed I'm extremely funny, and my friends think so too). Elissa’s enthusiasm and laughter are infectious, would definitely take a class with her again.”

former student

"I have recommended this class to SO MANY PEOPLE. Elissa is an amazing teacher. She creates such an awesome environment where everyone generally wants to improve AND she can explain to you what isn't working without hurting your ego in the slightest. If it weren't weird, I'd take this class ten more times."

former student

"Elissa was extremely knowledgeable, supportive, and funny! I walked away with a stronger grasp of humor writing structure and technique. And thanks to Elissa’s supportive teaching style, I feel more confident as a writer and more comfortable expressing my voice. Elissa also imparted her knowledge of the creative writing process and shared her tools and techniques for generating ideas and tackling first drafts and revisions. These are practices that I’ll continue using after the class."

former student