Though put together with magicians in mind, this HOW TO WRITE COMEDY book is suitable for ANY BUDDING COMEDY WRITER. Aimed at the ABSOLUTE BEGINNER, the principles outlined will help KICK-START your comedy writing, while the jokes themselves - over 400 - provide templates for you to use as they stand or as springboards for original jokes of your own. The author draws on a wide experience, having had material broadcast on TV and radio in the UK (BBC, ITV etc) and on TV in continental Europe. He has also performed STAND-UP COMEDY across Yorkshire, at the Edinburgh Fringe and elsewhere in the UK. If you've ever wanted to WRITE YOUR OWN JOKES, this book should help you get started. To take you even further, the author includes a useful bibliography of other comedy-writing books to add to your library.

*****
It’s not easy being funny. True, there are countless jokes out there, covering every conceivable topic, and almost as many books on the subject. But, for the magician, most are either inappropriate or so ancient they can probably be found on the same piece of wall as the Beni Hasan cup-and-ball routine. With more than 400 gags, bits of patter and business, 'Sleightly Amusing' sets out to provide magicians with workable lines, whether performing for other magicians, laypeople, in competitions or even compering. The book opens with a section on the business of comedy writing itself, based on the author’s experience as a gag writer for television, radio and as a stand-up comic.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
James A Ward is a published author, having written for children, teenagers and adults. He has also written comedy for TV and radio, both in the UK and mainland Europe.
As well as scripting gags and sketches for, among others, Freddie Starr, Roy Hudd and June Whitfield, his work has been broadcast on Radio 2, Radio 4, the World Service, BBC1, ITV and S4C (Wales). He has also performed stand-up comedy across Yorkshire and at the Edinburgh Fringe.

A member of the world famous Magic Circle, James has lectured and performed around the UK and as far away as India. He has performed mindreading magic on TV and radio, and created almost a hundred original tricks which have been published in magazines and e-books around the world.