Q: What is ComedyWriter?
A: ComedyWriter is a Windows-based program for creating humorous scenes, characters, situations, dialogue, expressions, and punch lines. Applications include film, television, theater, multimedia, speeches, presentations, cartoons and graphic arts, music, fiction, advertising, corporate roasts, training skits, and product development.

Q: Who can benefit from this software?
A: ComedyWriter can benefit many diverse users.

Q: C'mon, can a computer program really make somebody funny?
A: Sure! What do the master comedy writers have that we probably don't? Two things: a reliable writing partner, and the finely-honed skills to consistently put words together to make people fall from their chairs laughing. The most effective and prolific comedy writers cut their teeth as part of a team, a round-table of writers gathered for stimulation and inspiration. But although their writing was always original, they made use of tried-and-tested "formulas"--they knew which buttons to push to get a laugh.

ComedyWriter--your personal partner--mimics the thought processes and interactions of the best comedic writing teams by placing the reliable tools of the trade--substitution, surprise, exaggeration, shock, understatement, and the play on words--at your command. We supply a rich palette of ideas, and top it off with our exclusive lists--the grist for the mill. Stir in your own personality and you're on your way.

ComedyWriter is not a list of jokes! Joke lists--even extensive catalogues--go stale fairly quickly and, by definition, are not original. ComedyWriter includes hundreds of fill-in-the-blank scenes and situations which supply the raw ideas (you can add your own at any time). Our extensively researched databases--the "Lists"--complete the picture with tens of thousands of topical, literate snippets from popular culture and history. The act of brainstorming now becomes a writer-computer typhoon: ComedyWriter furnishes the raw material; you contribute the response and the quality control. The combination yields literally billions of ideas. You'll never run out of great material!

Q: Tell me more about these lists!
A: There are 63 titled lists, including: Action, Adventure, Animal, Architecture, Art Style, Attitude, Award, Belief, Body Part, Character, Cliché, Clothes, Company, Contest, Crime, Crisis, Dance Style, Description, Emotion, Event, Everyday Act, Fad, Famous Person, Film Style, Food, Group, Habit, Historical Event, Hobby, Holiday, Illness, Infamous Thing, Instrument, Issue, Language, Literary Style, Machine, Meal, Movie Title, Musical Act, Name, Nickname, Nursery Rhyme, Occupation, Odor, Phenomenon, Place, Product, Proverb, Quote, Relative, School Subject, Slogan/Sign, Song Title, Sound, Sport, Story Title, Therapy, Time, Tool, Tune Style, TV Show Title, Vehicle, Weapon, and Weather.

To take an example, Cliché is an index of over 8400 common expressions, slang and foreign phrases, etc. Song Title is a list of more than 3500 songs from American popular culture. Famous Person contains 2400+ recognizable names from history, the arts, sports, etc. All are searchable and you can add your own entries to any list.

Q: What else is included with ComedyWriter?
A: In addition to the preset ideas and lists, you get:

• The Browse Form: Scan the lists quickly; obtain random selections
• The Search Form: Find words or phrases from among the lists
• The Partner Form: Get inputs from the brain of ComedyWriter itself
• The Goofy Graph: Plot offbeat relationships
• On-line Help and Advice: Expert help--just a mouse click away
• Sample ComedyWriter files: Ideas to get you going
• Printed Manual: Thorough explanations and comedy writing examples
• 90-day free technical support: Walk you through any stumbling blocks
• 30-day money-back guarantee: No questions asked

Q: My rottweiler is having trouble mating. What should I do?
A: Champagne, a hot bath, and oysters seem to do the trick.

Q: OK, but why should I buy ComedyWriter?
A: There are many good reasons:

• ComedyWriter will have your audience rolling in the aisles.
• Original comic material is at your fingertips.
• Cut your writing time in half! Be creative on demand, on-the-spot.
• Give yourself the edge. Open your mind. Don't sweat deadlines.
• Add humor to your script, presentation, speech, song, story, or drawing.
• Make your characters come alive, dialogue ring true, scenes sparkle, lyrics resonate, prose sparkle.
• The sound of laughter from your audience will be music to your ears.
• Experienced writers work faster; novices get access to the thought-processes of the classic comedy writers.
  

Q: What's the downside? Are there any dangers?
A: Users of ComedyWriter are liable to actually break out into laughter while sitting at their computers. This concept of having fun while working is unprecedented and has unknown long-term consequences.

Q: Why did you create ComedyWriter?
A: I had just witnessed a friend shouting at his computer and it struck me--most of us have sick relationships with our PC's. If everything is going well, not many words are exchanged; maybe a few taps at the keyboard here, some gentle caressing of the mouse there, but not much positive verbal feedback from human to CPU. But let just one little thing go wrong and we have screaming and cursing; a general lack of respect toward this tool which, for many of us, is our vocational partner, not to mention a frequent Companion. Unacceptable! (I should note here that I'm referring to users of IBM-compatible computers. Macintosh operators seem to have much more nurturing intimacy with their machine and are prone to engage in spontaneous group/local-area-network hugs).

So, I thought, "You know, Rodney King was right! Why can't we all just get along? People should be laughing at their screens instead of frowning at their fonts; sharing a hearty chuckle at each error message, not raving at their RAM. I know: I'll harness the power of the computer to make people laugh! We will be smiling while bathing in the probably unhealthy glow of our CRT-driven monitors."

In ComedyWriter, I wanted to create the ideal writing partner: literate, tireless, surprising, witty. We'd be cohorts, allies, share repartee, drink coffee, the whole works! To accomplish this, I spent the better part of a year cataloguing life so that, through the software, our computers would have some knowledge of human behavior--more than a mathematical brain. I taught it to remember famous phrases, song and movie titles, personal habits, scientific phenomena, proverbs, illnesses, etc. And I showed it how to feed me this knowledge if I asked for it in some context, or at random if just brainstorming. I tutored it to fill in my blanks with topical material. I discovered what makes us laugh, and I passed on that wisdom to ComedyWriter. It is my Frankenstein creation!

Q: What are reviewers saying about ComedyWriter?
A: "Whenever you're stuck for an idea, need to break out of a rut, or just want a mental kick in the pants, let ComedyWriter give you a hand"
-Wally Wang, Round Table Comedy Writers Newsletter

"Unique creativity and productivity program...a great tool"
-HUMOResources

"An effective tool in prying laughs out of your brain and your audience's belly."
-PC Laptop

"Turn your PC into your comedy writing partner."
-Writer's Digest

"Lets would-be Woody Allens write goofy gags, witty songs, and boffo punch lines."
-The Futurist

"Top 10 Software for the Year"
-Executive Speaker

"...the best comedy-writing software around"
-Anne Hart, Software Review Features

"3.5 stars (out of 4): highly recommended" "...an excellent resource"
-Elizabethe Kramer, Aviso Writer's Newsletter

"...rip-roaring humor" "...brighten your star in the eyes of others"
-Yusuf Davis, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"...helps users punch up presentations and speeches"
-Training Magazine

"...hilarious" "...give your creativity a needed nudge"
-Ed Rasimus, Windows OnLine

Q: Tell me more about ideascapes.
A: ideascapes is committed to helping writers and artists meet the growing global demand for high-quality, original entertainment and educational material. This demand is fueled by the explosion in new media: cable programming, CD-ROM, virtual reality, online services, etc.

Q: Is there a Macintosh version of ComedyWriter?
A: ComedyWriter was tested VirtualPC and SoftWindows on the Mac and works as advertised.

Q: I dunno, I'm still undecided.
A: ComedyWriter is guaranteed to make you--and your audience--fall off your chairs laughing.