Was Oliver Wendell Holmes born with a comic’s DNA? Did his father tell Dad jokes? How did he develop his killer wit? I need to know because my wit is more of the jay-walking variety. Sure, I can make my reader smirk. On a good day, my writing might even get a snicker. But I want belly laughs. I want guffaws. I want snorts of laughter so loud they stampede feral pigs from Texas into my New England backyard.

Training could strengthen my funny bone, I thought, so I did the writer’s equivalent of lifting weights. I signed up for a workshop AND an intensive class. After two hilarious Saturday mornings learning the rules of comedy (yes, there are rules, but I’m pledged to secrecy), my humerus is more humorous. My words are sillier. The jokes have stepped out of hiding. On quiet nights, I can hear distant oinking. And if I keep practicing my writing, maybe someday I’ll have an endless supply of free bacon—some assembly required.

Psst! Don’t tell anyone, but the first rule of humor is to read funny stuff like Dave Agans’ THE URBAN LEGION. His website http://theurbanlegion.com/ lists other witty fiction. And, if you live in central Massachusetts and want help with your writing, I recommend  https://sevenbridge.org/about-us/ Dave Agans and Paula Castner, the COO of Seven Bridge Writers’ Collaborative, were the instructors for the humor class I described above.