Justin Colon's Mechanics of Humor Class went way beyond my expectations. The classes were packed full of insight and practical suggestions that we could immediately put into practice. Justin taught us how to analyze and learn from mentor texts, provided great examples of the lessons we had learned, and allowed for plenty of time for question and answer sessions. He also went above and beyond to host office hours each week where we could ask him anything about publishing, humor, and our own manuscripts. I showed him one of my stories I had been stuck on for months, and within minutes I could not wait to get back to revising. The feedback he provided was a game changer! If you are looking for a great class on PB craft, I highly recommend this course. It's worth its weight in gold!

Whether you're an author, illustrator, agent, or an editor, Justin is a wealth of information, making The Mechanics of Humor course a must-take for those interested in or involved in creating humorous picture books.

I'd highly recommend this course to anyone on the lookout for a good foundational class about humor principles! I attended most of the class through replays due to time difference overseas, but even as a video course it was still such an enjoyable experience. It actually felt like one of those seminar type classes you take in college that are small, intimate and casual where you're free and comfortable to learn and ask questions. I got introduced to SO many great mentor texts that I hadn't come across before and really appreciated Justin's offer of office hours to ask any publishing related questions and even go through manuscripts. I think the course was well paced and had a sufficient number of sessions to get a good grounding.

Justin's class on humor is packed with actionable information, great mentor texts, and covers a lot of ground in just a few virtual sessions. I'd recommended it for both new writers and seasoned writers who are interested in learning more about the humor genre. Justin is generous with his time and knowledge, so do check it out!

The Mechanics of Humor with Justin Colon, a six-week class via Zoom, was something I looked forward to every Tuesday. Justin's presentations and discussions delivered exactly what he promised and I feel more knowledgeable as a result. Writing a funny picture book is not easy but given Justin's considerable talent (and sense of humor), attendees will be in capable and caring hands when they participate in one of his courses.

This may be the best picture book class I’ve ever taken. The class was not only worthwhile because of how he deconstructs humor in picture books, but also the real-world examples he gives on what agents and editors are looking. For me, I think the biggest bonus of the class was his weekly office hours where I could chat with him about anything picture books, including manuscripts that I was working on.

The Mechanics of Humor is a gem of a class. Justin shares his knowledge of humor in a very accessible way and introduces students to many fun mentor texts. The feedback he gave on my manuscripts was super helpful. Justin is kind, easily approachable, and a great instructor.

I've been writing humorous stories for years and have a good feel for what works. What I was missing were the mechanics of how to set up the joke, what it really means to escalate and how to truly craft a memorable and hilarious MC. Justin thoroughly breaks down every aspect of humor in a way that is easy to understand an immediately applicable. While taking his class I revised a pretty funny manuscript to a hilarious and perfectly paced adventure that is now out on submission! I give Justin's class 5 out of 5!

I will continue digesting the feast Justin’s course offered. Six well organized presentations were chock full of goodies, more content than any course I have ever taken. Totally relevant and current. He knows humor, story, plot, planning, pace, arcs and publishing. He thoroughly enjoys children’s books and the creatives who make them. His own library is so big that the shelves are collapsing. He generously shares a stack of books each class and his own successes and struggles. I found myself madly taking notes to catch the gems I needed. I have added to my own collection with his extensive reading list. He is unbelievable! Dedicated to children and good story. He has a fabulous funny bone and talks about it. He’s generous in offering consults during office hours after each class. I am eager to sign up for more.

Justin's class came along at a time when I was feeling very down about my writing. After taking his class, I find myself re-motivated to dive back in. I love writing humorous picture books. THE MECHANICS OF HUMOR, Justin's class, showed me how I can amp up my writing and insert more craziness into my stories. He shared with us many strategies and examples on how to do this. Not only did we have class, but Justin had office hours where we could meet with him and discuss what we needed to. Don't worry about missing a class...they're recorded!!! This was one of the best things I ever did for myself and my writing!

I was impressed with how thorough Justin was with his research and his outline of the building blocks of humor for the course. In addition to showing off a lot of different forms and techniques, Justin also provided guidance as to what types of books are selling, how the illustrations can carry the humor, and more. I also appreciated the 1-on-1 time he made available during the course to discuss works in progress. Providing the recordings of the sessions was also helpful as I had to miss a few due to emergencies.

The Mechanics of Humor is a class filled with information. Justin defines the types of humor and how to incorporate it into a story. He provides many picture book examples that demonstrate how different techniques and strategies are used. This course helped me analyze my own writing and determine how I could use humor more effectively. Justin wa available for feedback, encouraged student participation, and readily answered all questions. I highly recommend this course if you want to write humorous picture books.

As an editor, Justin's ability to improve your manuscript is remarkable. He goes above and beyond, and is collaborative, creative, and encouraging. As an instructor, his coursework is thorough and enlightening. Justin is a secret weapon for anyone interested in improving their kid lit projects.

Many workshops explore writing humor for kids, but Justin’s Mechanics of Humor series goes far beyond the exploration of funny. His deep dive into comedic structure and his nitty gritty tips about what makes kids (and us) laugh added new building blocks to my writing toy chest. Justin’s knowledge and love of comedy sparkled in every class, and we laughed our way through concrete examples from published picture books that reinforced each point. No matter where you are in your writing journey, if you want to master humor, this class is a must.

Justin's course is aptly named: The Mechanics of Humor gave me aframework to evaluate my manuscripts with a new perspective. It's a great course whether you have multiple manuscripts or you are just starting out. Justin is incredibly generous with his time and clearly wants to help fellow creators. This course is worth every penny.

I enrolled in Justin's Mechanics of Humor course as I was looking for a way to continue to grow in my skills as a picture book writer. I am so grateful that I did! Specifically, I really appreciated that he spent time talking about humor in all its forms and used sample texts to bring those concepts to life. It gave me a new lens to apply to my manuscripts. Further, he provided a recommended reading list that allowed me to continue to explore the art of crafting humor outside of our time online. The results were that during the course, I fully revised 2 manuscripts and wrote an additional one. Justin pushed us to take a concept and then see how far you could expand upon it. This really small thing has me opening doors to my characters that I hadn't realized I had closed previously. On top of that, he held office hours where I was able to get direct 1:1 feedback. Justin is an all-around gem to the kid lit community and this course is worth every penny! I wish I would have done it sooner!

Writing humor may come easy for some. Me? Not so much. I took The Mechanics of Humor in hopes that I might find my picture book funny bone. There is a lot to absorb from this course, so I’m still working on my funny-bone freedom. However, I now have hope and much more understanding than I did when I came to session one of the course. I learn best via examples, and Justin makes sure there are plenty of those throughout the course. I’m an award-winning published author who teaches picture book writing, so the way I judge a course is by asking, “Did I learn anything new?” For the most part, I’ve given up on taking courses because I never learn anything new. With The Mechanics of Humor, I learned many new things—things that are bringing new ideas and approaches to my creative mind and process. Justin is very thorough and always willing to answer questions. He is super considerate and generous with his time. I loved his office hours where he went out of his way to help with ideas, manuscripts, lingering questions and so on. I recommend this course. It is good for kid-lit veterans who strive to lighten up and find their funny bone. It is also good for those just entering the kid-lit arena, as you learn about picture book structures, the industry, and more.

Justin is a gem. His Mechanics of Humor class was informative, entertaining, and packed full of resources. One of the most helpful aspects of the class was Justin sharing his personal experiences and processes in the industry while treating us (his students) as equals and colleagues under the assumption that we have already written and submitted manuscripts. So many courses are at the basic level, but this one went above and beyond and included details that were helpful to those of us who have a lot of experience writing and submitting but still need help with inspiration and techniques. Thanks for an awesome class!

The Mechanics of Humor with Justin Colon is a must for anyone writing humorous picture books. Justin does a great job breaking down all the elements needed to bring on that laugh we all want in our stories. He provides great examples to help you grasp each new topic. Justin is extremely generous with his time and the small class size works so well for getting individual attention.

I learned a great deal from Justin's class, The Mechanics of Humor. He has been generous with his time in answering questions and has presented the lessons clearly while providing plenty of examples of techniques used from current picture books. If anyone is considering taking one of his classes, I highly recommend it!

Justin's course was jam-packed with pertinent information, spot-on mentor texts, and engaging in-class activities and discussions. I feel like I've been gifted so many tools to sharpen my WIP and to better support my critique partners. Justin came prepared and delivered every week. Thank you, Justin!!!