He left the Peace Corps in 1970 to pursue writing full - time .
His interest in comedy led to his first book , On Being Funny : Woody Allen and Comedy in 1975 , which was part biography of Woody Allen and part general treatise on comedy .
He left the Peace Corps in 1970 to pursue writing full - time , and his interest in comedy led to his first book , On Being Funny : Woody Allen and Comedy in 1975 , which was part biography of Woody Allen and part general treatise on comedy .