How to Write a "Walks Into A Bar" Joke

So many classic jokes are about people walking into a bar. Ever wonder why? It's because they're fun to write and not too difficult. Learn how, amuse your friends, and join a proud history of bar jokes.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Sense of humor
• Dash of creativity

1. Find a template. While experts can write jokes freeform, for beginners, it helps to have a simple template to work off of. Knock knock jokes all use the same template, which is why they're easy to write. But you'll want a bar joke template, easily gotten by finding two jokes you like that have the same format.
2. Before writing your joke, test the template you have selected by telling the time-tested jokes to your friends. If nobody laughs at the original jokes that have survived for decades, then your imitation of that template may be doomed to failure.
3. A working template with two examples:
   "A horse walks into a bar, and the bartender says, 'Why the long face?'"
   
   "A bear walks into a bar, and says, 'I'd like... ... ... a beer.' The bartender says, 'Why the big pause?'"
4. Reduce the template to variables. "An X walks into a bar, and the bartender says Y." Pick something to plug in for X, like a hamburger.
   
   "A hamburger walks into a bar, and the bartender says Y."
5. Plug in something for Y that relates to X. This will usually be a play on words.
   
   "A hamburger walks into a bar, and the bartender says 'Sorry, we don't serve food here.'"
6. Test out your new joke by telling it to some friends. If they don't laugh, return to step 3 and try again!

Tips & Warnings

• Don't get discouraged. Dying is easy, comedy is hard.
• If your friends never laugh at your jokes, you may need new friends.