Monday, October 3, 2011

Writing Comedy - More Than Simply Funny Words

By Jackson Gervais


In case you are a naturally funny individual you might think that writing stand up comedy is straightforward. Well, it isn't. Even though you believe it may sound funny if you jot it down, it does not constantly translate well to a live audience.

Writing great stand up comedy material needs quite a bit of experimenting at the same time as knowledge. You'll want to do your homework first and practice on live audiences. It's a bit like mastering how to swim, you will panic a great deal to begin with, swallow a lot of unpleasant water prior to you begin to get used to it.

One way to check that what's in writing isn't always going to work, would be to transcribe a well known stand up comedian's show. Even though they got laughs, it doesn't always sound funny when you read it! In other words, it's not what you say, but how you say it and that's the key to good results.

The written word is merely one dimension of the step by step stand up comedy act. Additionally to the words, you need to vary the tone in your voice as you perform and link that up together with your body language. Put simply, these three facets need to come together to create a great routine. Funny words in writing may be funny in greeting cards, yet not on stage with out the other elements. In case you leave one piece out it won't work.

One of the far better approaches to write comedy material is to take into consideration real life events that you have experienced, been involved in or see as entirely weird. Writing about something you already know as a basis will enable you to put your own spin on it much more easily.

Now, you can kill a funny story in the event you get the punch line completely wrong. By itself, the punch line is typically meaningless and has to be delivered in a specific way, at a certain time. To help you get this right, watch as many comedians as you can to check out the way they do it; is it an 'off the cuff' remark, will they have a pause etc.

Lastly, you should find your own style that you are comfy with. Do not try and emulate somebody else's style as it won't ring true. This might take a little time, but is going to be much better in the long run as you may develop your personal following far more easily. Expect to get a few dead pan faces on stage sometimes; it is all part of the learning curve however unpleasant. In case you don't have a thick skin, give up now!

The only real approach to write stand up comedy material that actually works, is to practice and cultivate your craft. Just because it appears simple for some, don't be fooled, they had to do their apprenticeship as well. Keep true to yourself and allow your natural humor grow into your signature style.




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