1 session, Sunday, March 22nd, 2-4pm
online
$75
Enroll in this class.
please note: payments will not be accepted until January 1, 2026. For now, sign up, and in the New Year you will be required to input your credit card information to complete the purchase. Thank you!
The choices a humor writer makes about heightening – the idea that the beats and moments in a humor piece should be growing/changing/intensifying in an observable way – often determine the difference between a good humor piece and a great one. In this one-shot craft class, we’ll examine multiple forms of comedic heightening: exaggeration, contrast, pattern-building and breaking, runners, and sharpening the unusual element of the premise. We’ll read and dissect a variety of humor pieces to get a good look at just some of the ways that funny writers find to balance clarity with surprise.
We’ll consider how writers build trust with readers by grounding early beats, when to take wild leaps (and when to show restraint), and how to keep escalation from flattening or derailing the piece. We’ll also think about new or unexpected ways we can heighten a joke or premise, and use some brainstorming and practice exercises to explore different entry points to a short humor piece. By the end of class, students will have several heightening strategies they can use immediately in their own drafts and will walk away with recommended readings and sources they can turn to as they continue their own humor writing practice.
Enroll in this class.
About the Instructor
Riane Konc is a satire and humor writer whose writing can be found in the New Yorker, McSweeney’s, the New York Times, The Cut, Mad Magazine, Electric Literature, The Rumpus, Reductress, and more. She’s also taught satire and humor writing for Second City’s online writing program and for the Erma Bombeck Writer’s Workshop, and she’s served as both a judge for the annual Thurber Prize for American Humor and as the ceremony’s co-head writer.
Student Testimonials
"Riane's brilliant sense of humor is what prompted me to take the Second City 'Writing Satire For the Internet' class with her. But her kind, actionable feedback is what helped me get the most out of the course. Taking a class with Riane is one of the best writing career decisions I've ever made." - Carlos G
“I am so beyond grateful to have had the opportunity to take my first ever humor writing class with Riane. Riane is a fantastic teacher — she made challenging concepts accessible and always offered thoughtful and nuanced feedback on my and my classmate's fledgling attempts to write funny. I can say with absolute certainty that I would not be the writer I am today had it not been for Riane's patience, expertise, and support as my teacher. If you have the chance to take a class with her, DO IT!!” - Emily K.
“The first satire writing class I ever took was with Riane, and she took my half-formed, barely-funny ideas and helped me learn to structure them into an actual humor piece. Riane is not only one of the funniest writers and humans on earth, but she has the gift of showing others how humor writing works, and the ability to help people see themselves as humorists. Riane’s feedback was always prompt, specific, and helpful, and she knows exactly how to help elevate a piece. Riane created a writing community in her class, and helped model what it means to give thoughtful feedback to others. I highly recommend taking a class with her to develop your own satire writing skills!” - Amy E.