A Huge Problem with Joke Writing

Need Help? Feedback? Want Insight?

I’ve taught joke writing to middle-schoolers, high-schoolers, college students, and adults. I’ve taught everyone from comedians to ventriloquists to people who swear they’re “not funny.” And I think I’ve noticed a common denominator when it comes the majority of people writing jokes who think they need better punchlines: they don’t; they need better truth.

Think about it: most communication fails happen because we say what we think we should say instead of saying what we actually mean. We’ve all done it and we all do it. We dress up our language, soften the edges, add qualifiers, and drop in disclaimers until what we actually wanted to say is gone. Then our original thought looks or sounds nothing like we wanted to say in the first place.

As I’ve said tons of times on this site, I think humor lives in the gap between what we want (expectation) and what really is (reality). When I’m dialed into that gap and name it for others, they often laugh. And they do so not because I told a joke, but because I exposed that gap by telling the truth about it.

I think about this all the time. And when it comes to writing jokes, I work with people on this all the time. Here’s an entryway into the process: 1) Write what you’re supposed to say (the expectation). Get the professional version down first. 2) Write what really is (reality). That’s getting to the heart of joke material. Simple enough, right? You see, the joke isn’t something you add on top of your message!!!

As you likely know if you’re reading this, I perform clean comedy. That means I don’t rely on shock value or crude language. Instead, what I rely on is observation accuracy. And when I nail the truth of a moment, people recognize it instantly. They laugh because I said what they were thinking but couldn’t articulate it or hadn’t yet found a way to.

I help people find that gap. Whether you’re working on a speech, a presentation, or just want to communicate with more impact, the process is the same. I expose the gap then close the distance. So, if you’re working on something and want another set of eyes on it, get in touch with me. I’ll help you find where the truth is hiding. Because once you find it, the humor almost writes itself.

I’m available for help with things like brainstorming, joke writing, joke editing, show feedback, performance tips, and learning how to memorize quickly and efficiently. I typically charge $40/hr and am willing to customize things to your liking. An alternative is: if you have any interest at all in learning about your persona, how to write some jokes, or doing stand-up comedy, you could check out my online joke writing course, “The Joke Writer’s Lab,” HERE. Let me help you help yourself.