How to Write Romantic Comedy

by Jane Lovering, Rhoda Baxter

Do you want to write Romantic Comedy, but struggle with the comedy element of it? Are you stumped by how inject more humour into your novel? Do you want to know how story structure is just like telling a joke? Do you want to learn these things whilst being lightly entertained and given a giggle or two?

Then you've come to the right place.

Award winning authors Jane Lovering and Rhoda Baxter have over twenty books between them (where they make a great defensive wall) and extensive experience of cramming laughter into literature. They will show you how to put comedy into your romances, and make you laugh while they do so.

This book will teach you:

The different types of comedy.
The anatomy of a joke.
How to make things funnier.
Different uses for comedy in a novel.
A simple trick to translate timing onto the page.
Specificity explained through the medium of biscuits.

If you’re looking for an easy, accessible How-To guide to writing romantic comedy* then this is the book for you.

*Contains confectionery. Bring tea.

Genres: Nonfiction

118 pages, Paperback

Published June 17, 2019

About the author

Jane Lovering was born in Devon, England but, following extradition procedures, now lives in Yorkshire. She has five children, four cats, two dogs and doesn't believe in housework so the bacteria and dust are approaching sentience and now rank among the pets. Incidentally, she doesn’t believe in ironing either, and the children all learned self-defensive cookery at early ages. She works in a local school and also teaches creative writing, which are extreme ways of avoiding the washing up.

Published since 2008, she writes romantic comedies which are often described as ‘quirky’. One day she's going to find out what that means. Jane is a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association and has a first class honours degree in creative writing. In 2012, her novel Please Don't Stop the Music won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by the RNA.

Reviews

[Nicky Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a superb, info packed book on the art of romantic comedy. I highly recommend it!

[Selina Lock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished the paper version & really enjoyed it. A concise, useful exploration of comedy writing and the general writing process.

[Jenny Worstall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This excellent book is packed full of top tips and very amusingly written. Thoroughly recommended!

[Vienna Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I own a lot of writing books, but this is absolutely one of my favourites. Not only is it useful for if you're just starting out with writing and need to get your head around the basics of comedy (and romance!), but also if you've been writing for a while and want to explore these elements in depth.

The main thing that will leap out at you about this book is that it is genuinely funny. I love Jane and Rhoda's take on writing, and their humour really makes for relaxed and personable reading - almost as though you've asked a close friend for advice.

It's a great and accessible guide for any level of writer, and I thoroughly recommend it as essential reading!

[Mary Thornburg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent advice for writers in any genre -- including but definitely not limited to romantic comedy. What's a character arc? What's the relationship between visual and written humor? What's the difference between American and British romantic comedy? How can you strengthen the dramatic impact of an event in your narrative by increasing the space between words or phrases? Jane Lovering and Rhoda Baxter will tell you all this, and much more. And they'll make you laugh out loud while they're doing it.

[Isabelle D]

Funnily phrased writing advice by two of my favourite authors of romantic comedies, this book could be very useful to those who actually plan to write a novel, possibly even if it's not in the same genre. It's also entertaining for people like me who just like the authors' jokes.

[KT · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an aspiring romance writer this was just what I needed to help give it some fun.

[Emma Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating break down of different types of comedy, techniques to tickle funny bones & why some things work but others don’t in fiction.

There is also a really great section at the back, breaking down writing craft & a lot of talk about biscuits.

I don’t think you can learn to be funny and humour is subjective (as discussed in this book) but this will give you some very useful tips on recognising your own preferred type of comedy. As well as learning something, it made me laugh - which is a very good sign considering the subject matter.

I’m off to add some of the authors books to my groaning TBR! I hope they see this review & enjoy their celebratory hobnobs.

[M. Vess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great how-to

Really enjoyed the fun and conversational style of this writing how-to. Lots of great info distilled to the most important points on writing a rom-com. I've read some of Rhoda's novels and she really knows this stuff. I look forward to picking up some of Jane's books soon too.

[Michelle Cornish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of great tips!

I've read a few books on writing romantic comedies, but none have gone into as much detail about the different types of humour and how to include them in writing. A great reference, thank you!

[Alexandria Blaelock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of technical information about writing in general as well as comedy. Draws against romance because that’s what the authors write, but applicable to many other genres as well.

[Lucy Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I use this regularly - it’s such a good tool for the romcom author / writer! This book will take your story to the next level. Love it and I won’t let it out of my sight.

[Arleta Kersh · Rating 5 out of 5]

What’s a Hobnob? I want one!

Delightful and easy to read. Lots of interesting advice. This book makes my fingers itch to get at my keyboard.

[Sage Gordon-Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hugely informative and inspiring!