Comedy Writing Secrets by Mel Helitzer with Mark Shatz is a workbook on writing humor: the THREES formula, joke structure, plays on words and markets from stand-up to speeches. For writers, speakers and teachers who want to be funnier on purpose.
Author · 1 summary
Mark Shatz
American psychologist and professor
- Nationality
- American
- Occupation
- Psychologist, Professor, Humor writer
- Known for
- Co-writing Comedy Writing Secrets with Mel Helitzer
About Mark Shatz
Mark Shatz is a psychologist who taught for many years at Ohio University Zanesville, a regional campus of Ohio University. He holds a doctorate and taught educational psychology and statistics. He is now a professor emeritus of psychology. He has won awards for his teaching.
Alongside psychology, he taught a course in humor writing in the tradition of Mel Helitzer's class at the main campus in Athens. His students ended the course by performing their own material in front of a live audience. His research looks at how humor can help students learn, including in online courses. He has also spoken on teaching, stress management and death education.
He co-wrote the second edition of Comedy Writing Secrets (2005) with Helitzer and updated the third edition (2016) after Helitzer's death. He also wrote KISSing Golf, a humorous guide for beginning golfers. He speaks regularly at the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop and the Writer's Digest conference.
Books by Mark Shatz
New books, occasionally