Useful joke-writing techniques

Every once in a while we catch ourselves needing that extra boost when it comes to joke writing. We feel like we have a lot of topics we want to write about but we get lost in the avalanche of ideas and sometimes don’t know which way to go and how to shape our thoughts into well-crafted bits. Over the years I discovered a few new approaches to joke writing that provided a new outlook on the process and generated fresh ideas all while providing some general direction and focus.

Punchline first

The universal joke formula is premise + point of view + twist = joke. However, sometimes we think of a very funny ending, a catch phrase or a perfect tag and a punchline, but we really don’t have a premise to go with it. In that case you can just flip it and reverse it. Start with the punchline first and reverse engineer the bit. 

Dave Chappelle talked about this in one of his comedy specials when he stated that he has a fishbowl in his house that contains funny taglines and punchlines and he will dig into that bowl daily, grab an idea and just write a whole bit around that punchline.

You can write a list that contains all the scenarios of where the suited punchline would naturally fit in and then dig into your notes and see if you have any material that can be constructed into a premise with such an ending. This forces you to think outside of the box, push your creative juices and it might really come as a surprise where you end up. You can easily discover a new topic you haven’t really explored that’s been sitting in the back of your brain for a while. It’s like finding little treasures in unexpected places.

Starting with the punchline is a special type of a challenge but it can be a fun brain exercise. You are writing a storyline of a movie that you only know how it ends. Keep in mind that a lot of comedians end up being TV and movie writers so this is an excellent way to tap into that territory and push your imagination just a bit further.

Long story short

This technique is super helpful when it comes to writing storytelling bits but it can also be used when trying to brainstorm new material for shorter jokes. You basically start with a journal entry. It can be a day in life, a personal experience in a romantic or a professional relationship, an incident that really shook you, or even just a rant about some mundane thing or an observation. 

The point of this exercise is to let your words and your emotions fly without any real direction. Whatever comes to mind just jot it down. You might end up with pages and pages of random thoughts on the topic which is a good thing as you’ve created a perfect mine for selecting what goes into the next round which is editing. 

In order to fully benefit from this step see where in the story you were triggered the most as that can be a clear sign that you are onto something you can bring to the stage. Things that are making us the most emotional are what will bring our authenticity into the spotlight. Don’t try to edit while you write or censor yourself in any way. You are allowed to say and feel what you want and take that topic anywhere you please. Your notes, your point of view and your imagination can beautifully play together. 

Once you conclude the writing part it’s time to edit. Comedian, director and screenwriter Judd Apatow suggests doing this on a different day as your brain still might be in the writing process and it will clearly miss the sharp focus of an editor. It’s important to see your writing with fresh eyes, hence the suggestion to edit on a different day.

The only suggestion I would make here is to pick the subject you know something about that fits your genre of writing and it will appeal to your audience. In order to see if your idea has any substance it’s a good practice to write a list of related topics surrounding your idea.

For example, let’s say your journaling was about a random day at the office that started really bad when you realized that the break room was out of milk, and you can’t drink black coffee. You NEED your coffee to work so this triggered you and ruined your morning. Comedy is often about small things in life that can become a big deal depending on who we are as people. Think of the TV series Seinfeld, a show (allegedly) about nothing but each episode was about something, an everyday nuance that became a premise of each episode. This applies to your bit about milk and coffee in the break room. Add any relatable topics like - the management didn’t buy enough milk, the greedy coworker who always uses way too much milk and doesn’t leave anything for the rest, coffee addiction, different types of milk, etc. Make sure you include the list of emotions - anger, annoyance, feeling sleepy, unmotivated, etc. This process will ensure you have enough sources to back up the idea you are trying to explore. An additional step might be to ask yourself Why is this funny? as it will clarify the stream of thoughts for you. 

The last stage is trimming the fat. Eliminate anything that is not a significant contributor to the storyline. Brevity is your friend. The faster you get to the jokes the better it will be received by the (always inpatient) audience.

Comparison

Comparison technique is probably the most common joke writing tool and once you start doing it you will notice that most professional comedians use it almost exclusively; it’s that effective. The base of this technique is drawing a comparison between two subjects that, on the surface, don’t seem to have much in common. 

In order to show you how this technique works I will use one of my jokes about jocks (athletes) and incels (involuntary celibate). The joke goes: Some guys have a really hard time getting laid. They fantasize about those few sexual experiences the way former jocks remember their high school glory: they played the field once but then they got hurt and now they are just watching the game on their phone.

The way this joke was created is by forming two columns: one for jocks and one for incels. In the jocks column I put all the words that are associated with the word jock like athletic, high school and college sports, game, field, ball, uniform, helmet, coach, trophy, glory days, popular with friends and girls, getting laid, winning, bench, watching game, etc. The point is to list any attributes and words associated with the concept of jocks without trying to draw any parallel with the second topic - incels. 

In the second column, incels, the associated list of words and terms used are: involuntary celibate, trying to get laid, unsuccessful, rejection, sex, victim mentality, getting hurt, having no game, geeks, blaming women, consuming porn, etc. 

Once I’ve completed the second column, it’s time to draw some parallels and try to see if there are any keywords or ideas that I’ve used in both columns. In this case I’ve used: game, field, sex, watching game/porn. This gave me an idea that football and love games can be used in terms of playing field, getting hurt, being off the field, slowly getting benched and eventually being completely out of the game. 

Comparisons are probably the easiest way to get the audience to feel exactly what you want them to feel. Just make sure your points are brief and simple to understand. “This thing is like that thing” is a base of joke writing for a pro comedian Mark Normand. He is very good at finding these perfect combinations and crafting bits about his personal life, current events, and he even uses it in his crowd work. Exercising this technique on a daily basis allowed him to write faster as his brain thinks in terms of these comparisons so much it became a part of his personality. He’s quick witted and his banters with others are always amusing. 

Let me know in the comments if you’ve ever tried any of these joke-writing techniques and what you’ve found useful when it comes to mining for new material.

Here are some of the most useful joke-writing techniques I often resort to.