Making Light: Adding Humour, Warmth and Wit to your Writing
Join your fellow fiction and non-fiction writers for this new week-long course, where you’ll find the warmth, laughter and satire you’re yearning for in your prose writing.
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Find your comedy voice
Making your readers laugh is hard. It requires a huge amount of skill, sincerity and timing to make a truly memorable comic character, scenario or piece of dialogue – but there’s no better feeling than landing the perfect joke and making your reader chuckle.
So, what better way to give your prose a comic boost than joining the hugely experienced comic writer Paul Dornan and your fellow writers in this new course. Suitable for both experienced writers looking to give their fiction or non-fiction prose some wit and warmth or those just starting out and looking to write a purely comic work, this five-day course will give you all the tools bring lightness, wit and laughs to your writing.
Over the week, you’ll cover all the fundamentals – the Comic Idea, character creation, setting, language, structure and writing process – but with practical advice, clear-eyed analysis and the time and space to find your very own funny in a happy and supportive room of other writers on the same journey.
Is this the right course for me?
This is a wide-ranging course is for writers interested in writing with more humour and comedy – whether you’re just starting out and want to explore how to write a comedic novel, or an experienced writer in another medium looking to season your work with a lighter touch.
Rooted in the fundamentals of comic storytelling, the course will move freely and happily between styles, genres and intensities of comic endeavour, from the full-on silly, to the wryly, loftily ironically amused.
Though Paul has written a lot of comedy-drama, this isn’t a course aimed at helping anyone write a stand-up routine, develop a sit-com series or write a purely comic play, though there’ll be plenty of ideas to set you off on that journey afterwards if that’s what you leave the course wanting to do next.
The Faber Academy Scholarship Programme
There are scholarship places available on this course for writers who otherwise could not afford to attend. We particularly welcome applications from writers of colour, disabled writers and LGBTQ+ writers.
To apply, please submit a 500 word extract of your prose, along with your covering letter (both as Word docs or PDFs) to scholarships@faber.co.uk, with the subject line ‘Scholarship Application: Making Light – August 2025’. The full terms and conditions and more information about our scholarship programme can be found below.
The deadline for application is Sunday 27 July 2025 at 23:59.
This course runs over five consecutive days. With lots of discussion, group critiques, writing challenges, laughter and the chance to have a one-on-one session with Paul, this intensive week will give you the confidence and freedom to test out your ideas and hone your comic writing.
You’ll collaborate with your fellow writers, supporting each other to find the funny in each other’s writing. You’ll learn from the comedy greats, through analysis of all kinds of amusing and hilarious films, sitcoms, novels and memoir. You’ll also be joined by an experienced guest tutor for a discussion and Q&A about how they find the funny in their writing.
This course takes place at Faber's headquarters, The Bindery, from Monday to Friday.
Course Programme
Session 1
Monday 18 August, 10:00–16:00
What’s The Big Idea? ...
Session 2
19 August, 10:00–16:00
Character...
Session 3
20 August, 10:00–16:00
Guest Tutor: Emma Jane Unsworth...
I loved my week in the Comedy Writing Room. Paul was great and inspired and the group to write and work together.
Tutor
Paul Dornan
Paul Dornan has worked in the TV and film comedy world for over two decades as a writer, producer, director, teacher and mentor.
More About This Tutor
Guest Tutor
Emma Jane Unsworth
Emma Jane Unsworth is a BAFTA-nominated, BIFA-winning screenwriter and best-selling novelist...
Location
The Bindery
51 Hatton Garden
London EC1N 8HN
How to get here
Faber’s office, The Bindery, is well connected by public transport, with Farringdon Station just five minutes’ walk away, and stops for several bus routes in the area too. If you’re coming from outside of London, the office is a short bus or taxi journey from Kings Cross, Euston and St Pancras stations.
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