How to Edit a Joke

Rewriting is the most important part of writing. If you've written a joke for a speech, stand-up act, cartoon, greeting card or newspaper column, chances are you can make it even funnier by applying some editing polish.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Look at your punchline. Identify the word that first reveals the punchline's surprise or twist. The longer you can delay the surprise, the better--and if you can delay it until the very last word of the punchline, that's the best. See if you can push the surprise back by rewording your punchline.

2. Tighten it up. Get out your editing scalpel and hack away any words that don't add to the meaning or the humor.

3. Change bland words to funny words. Bland words are general; funny words are specific. Bland words have mellow sounds; funny words often have harsh sounds. Go through your joke word by word to look for places where you can substitute funnier words.

4. Make sure your joke makes sense. It should be clear enough that your listeners or readers will understand it immediately, or at most after one beat. If your wording obscures your meaning, change the wording.

5. Think of your intended audience. Do you explain more than you need to for this particular audience? Or do you have the opposite problem, and not explain enough? Make any necessary adjustments.

Tips & Warnings

• In comedy, rules are made to be broken. Ultimately, you should rely on your instinct and on your audience's reaction.

Resources

• "Comedy Writing Secrets" by Mel Helitzer with Mark Shatz