Begins Wednesday, March 10, 2027

Class will meet weekly via Zoom on Wednesdays, 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM ET

(Sessions: March 10, 17, 24, 31, and April 7, 2027)

Now Enrolling! Any questions about this class? Use the Chat Button to talk with us.

Instructor Bio

Instructor Andrew Buckley is a novelist, screenwriter, and keynote speaker who has spent more than twenty years crafting stories across page and screen. He is the author of Hair in All the Wrong Places, a darkly funny supernatural novel that blends teenage awkwardness with full-moon complications, and the co-writer of the feature horror-comedy Knight Terror. When he isn't writing novels, screenplays, or his next unreasonable number of projects, Andrew can usually be found searching for ways to bend space and time to fit more minutes into the day. He is represented by Nikki Terpilowski at Holloway Literary. Beyond traditional publishing, he also creates immersive narrative experiences, including the popular Deadly Dinner Parties series.

Who is this class for?

This all-levels online writing class is for writers of fantasy, horror, science fiction, paranormal, supernatural, and other speculative fiction who want to weave humor into their stories without sacrificing suspense, emotional weight, or high stakes. You'll leave with original scenes, practical techniques for balancing comedy and tension, and a personalized strategy for writing memorable, character-driven humor in genre fiction. Whether you're new to comedy or sharpening an established voice, you're welcome here.

What to expect:

Fantasy, horror, science fiction, and supernatural fiction often explore humanity's darkest moments, but some of the most memorable genre stories are also the funniest. Whether it's a dry observation in the middle of an alien invasion, an awkward vampire trying to blend into suburbia, or a monster hunter having the worst day imaginable, humor can deepen character, sharpen tension, and make emotional moments even more powerful.

In this five-week creative writing workshop, you'll learn how to write humor that grows naturally from character, conflict, and worldbuilding without undermining suspense or emotional stakes. Rather than focusing on standalone jokes, this online writing class explores how comedy can strengthen speculative storytelling through voice, timing, comic escalation, misdirection, and narrative structure.

You'll also learn Andrew Buckley's Comic Damage framework, a character-first approach that creates humor by combining urgent character wants, flawed beliefs, and escalating pressure. The result is comedy that feels inevitable, emerging naturally from the collision between extraordinary worlds and deeply human characters. Through writing exercises, scene workshops, and analysis of fantasy, horror, science fiction, and horror-comedy, you'll develop practical techniques for balancing laughter with tension, creating memorable characters, and sustaining humor across an entire novel or screenplay. You'll receive instructor feedback throughout on comic timing, pacing, voice, and character dynamics.

What are the writing goals?

In this course, students will produce a collection of original humorous scenes and writing exercises exploring multiple comedic techniques, plus a revised scene or chapter incorporating stronger comic structure, timing, and character-driven humor. Students will build a practical toolkit of techniques—including setup and payoff, misdirection, escalation, callbacks, pacing, and tonal contrast—and leave with a personalized strategy for incorporating humor into their own genre and writing voice without sacrificing emotional stakes.

Students are encouraged to share weekly exercises and revised scenes throughout the course. Andrew provides instructor feedback on comic timing, pacing, voice, character dynamics, structural setup and payoff, and the effectiveness of humor within each student's work. Class discussions and guided peer workshops help students identify where humor feels organic, where it can be strengthened, and how it supports the larger story.

Readings

Examples discussed throughout the course may include:

Novels

• Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard
  
• The Martian by Andy Weir
  
• Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman
  
• Hair in All the Wrong Places by Andrew Buckley

Films

• The Mummy (1999)
  
• Ghostbusters
  
• Shaun of the Dead
  
• Knight Terror (2026 feature)

COURSE OUTLINE

Week 1: Why Things Are Funny (And Why They Aren't)

Focus: Explore the psychology and mechanics of humor, including expectation, surprise, incongruity, and audience perspective. Learn why some jokes consistently land while others fall flat, and begin identifying the types of humor that best fit your own writing voice.

Activity: Students reverse-engineer examples of comedy from books, film, television, or everyday life to identify the structural techniques behind each laugh before applying those principles in a short writing exercise.

Week 2: Voice, Persona, and the Comic Lens

Focus: Develop a humorous narrative voice by examining tone, perspective, exaggeration, observation, and comic persona. Learn how humor grows from the way a story is told rather than simply what happens. 

Activity: Students rewrite the same scene through multiple narrative voices to discover how perspective changes the comedy and begin developing a distinct comic style.

Week 3: Jokes on the Page (Without Writing "Jokes")

Focus: Learn how professional writers create humor through structure rather than isolated punchlines. Topics include setup and payoff, delayed callbacks, the Rule of Three, escalation, misdirection, rhythm, timing, and organic dialogue.

Activity: Students revise an existing scene by incorporating structural comedy techniques that feel natural within the narrative rather than interrupting it.

Week 4: Character, Conflict, and Comic Damage

Focus: Discover Andrew Buckley's Comic Damage method for creating character-driven comedy. Learn how strong wants, flawed beliefs, escalating pressure, and meaningful conflict generate humor that grows naturally from story and character instead of relying on constant jokes.

Activity: Students develop or revise a character by identifying their immediate want, underlying flaw, and escalating obstacles before writing a scene that allows the comedy to emerge from those elements.

Week 5: Sustaining Humor in Long-Form Work

Focus: Learn how to maintain humor throughout an entire novel or screenplay by varying comic intensity, balancing humor with emotional stakes, and avoiding joke fatigue. We'll explore pacing, thematic callbacks, tonal variation, and revision strategies that keep readers engaged from beginning to end.

Activity: Students evaluate the humor throughout a larger work or chapter, identify opportunities for stronger comic rhythm and variation, and leave with a practical revision plan for future drafts.

COURSE TAKEAWAYS:

• A collection of original humorous scenes exploring multiple comedic techniques
  
• A revised scene or chapter with stronger comic structure, timing, and character-driven humor
  
• A practical toolkit of techniques: setup and payoff, misdirection, escalation, callbacks, pacing, and tonal contrast
  
• A character-first command of the Comic Damage framework for genre fiction
  
• A personalized strategy for balancing laughter with tension and sustaining humor across a full novel or screenplay

TESTIMONIALS:

"As we say in Jamaica 'Nuff Respect'!! I have said it before but it's worth saying again, you are the mentor I needed. Your guidance and ability to make the material easy to understand opened the doors and eliminated whatever fears and doubts I had coming into this course."
— Felix

"I decided to take Andrew Buckley's writing class on a whim and at the last minute. Andrew's allowing me late registration was just the first of a long list of encouraging acts towards me. I'd always wondered if I had it in me to write a novel and with Andrew's help and encouragement I am well on my way."
— Jane

PAYMENT OPTIONS:

Tuition is $395 USD. You can pay for the course in full or use Shop Pay or Affirm to pay over time with equal Monthly Payments. Both options are available at checkout.

ONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE:

• Instructor: Andrew Buckley
  
• Begins Wednesday, March 10, 2027
  
• Class will meet weekly via Zoom on Wednesdays, 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM ET (March 10, 17, 24, 31, and April 7, 2027)
  
• Tuition is $395 USD.