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     Chili Challis

           Lifetime comedian, comedy writer and coach

My Blog



Posted on October 29, 2013 at 10:55 AM Comments comments ()
Notes on....
...having a successful joke writing and idea session.

*Comedy is art and not scientific. There are no specific rules.
Stand up is a license to break rules, however keep in mind the goal of a joke is to get laughs.


First! bring to the table some genuinely good ideas or topics.

(Remember that every idea is not necessarily a good idea. Pick the ideas that you are really passionate about. excite you and give you lots of thinking juice)

be willing to have fun exploring the idea or topic by breaking it down into fragments (tangent lists) all the while taking short notes on; images, words, phrases etc that come to mind while doing so.

Comedy writing is pretty much images and bullet points of Keywords for feelings, emotional flashes and what ifs.

&???Performing considerations-
...will audience accept and relate to your joke?
...will audience understand your joke?
Is the joke concise? Setup-punch basically.
Things we find funny:
you or somebody gets hurt, you get back at somebody, the unexpected happens, the expected happens, ...some action that is obvious to everybody but you, ….point out the absurd, being absurd in a formal place, mocking, mimic, ...out of place conversations or expressions,

acknowledging truths such as getting older, acting immature, looking back in time, advancing in time, …. making due,
.pointing out changes, personal breakdown or busting of the system or social norms of some sort, awkward struggles, bewilderment,

exposing or using known truths (cops at doughnut shops, doctors playing golf etc)….

Uncomfortable surroundings, having to deal with your unknowns, inexperience, experiencing rudeness or deliberately being rude, minor accidents, run ins with bosses or authority, losing temper, dealing with life's weasels, yours and other people's habits, kids, pets, relatives, dealing with stress, high school, college, vacations that suck, transportation, fashion, attitudes, staying fit, drinking alcohol, things that go with love, relationships and break ups,

...................there's a million, add your own.