How to Write a great joke routine

It is always fun to tell a good joke. But it is much more rewarding if you wrote the joke yourself.
Here are some good tips.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Pen and paper.
• small tape recorder.
• News paper or TV.

1. Watch the NEWS and find out what is going on in the world and if there is something that could be made funny, write it down or speak it into the tape recorder.
   (As a general rule, if someone dies, it is NOT funny at all! However, celebrities are usually an exception, so people like Michael Jackson and Billy Mayes are fair game, to a certain extent. People are going to open fire on them guys soon enough. But proceed with caution if you are making jokes about a dead celebrity.)

2. Remember the basic formulas for writing a joke:
   Reverse. You make people think you are talking about one thing and at the end you change it to something else. IE, make people think you are talking about a woman then at the end of the joke, let them know you were talking about a man.
   Double entendre. A word with Two meanings. You make people think about one thing and then at the end of the joke, you refer to the other meaning of the word. Works great with vulgar jokes.
   Triples: You give Two examples of things that are not very funny, then you throw out the third one and it is hilarious.
   Call back: You refer back to something you talked about earlier in the routine.

3. When you start to write, think of a topic to write about. It doesn’t have to be something funny, just think of something.
   Take dogs for example. Write down all the details you can about dogs. They drink out of the toilet, lick their butt and crotch, try to have sex with people’s legs. That stuff is funny. Turn that into a joke.
   What is that dog probably thinking? If he could talk, what would he say? Etc.
   
   Write everything down that you can think of about a dog, then try to find something that could be made funny and turned into a joke.
   Take the good stuff and turn it into your routine. You can get an hour’s worth of material just off dogs alone.

4. Listen to professional comedians. See how they perform their routines. DON’T STEAL THEIR MATERIAL! THAT IS CONSIDERED THEFT!!! If you got on stage and told a bunch of Red Neck jokes, for example, Jeff Foxworthy could sue if he wanted.
   It is OK, however, to refer to another performer’s material in your routine if you give them credit and only do it once.
   For example, it is OK to say: As Jeff Foxworthy would say, “You might be a Red Neck.”

5. A lot of my funniest material has been from when I wasn’t even trying to be funny. I just did or said something that people thought was hilarious. I just write that stuff down and add it to my routines.

6. Once you get your routine written, tell it to your friends and see how they react. Fair warning, your friends will probably laugh just to be nice and you will not get an accurate idea of how good it really is.
   Go to some total strangers in a bar or just walking down the street and test it on them.
   If someone says your material is not that great, ask for suggestions to make it better and re-write it. Nothing would be worse than getting on stage and having tomatoes thrown at you or getting booed off stage.

7. Once you have gotten your routine written, memorise it and call the local comedy club to find out when their open mic night is.
   Go in and perform.
   Invite everyone you know to see you perform.

Tips & Warnings

• In my research of comedy, I learned that the number Nine (9) is said to be the funniest number.
• If you have a choice of using a word that has the K sound in it and a different word that doesn't, always choose the word with the K in it. That is usually funnier.
• Don't get too drunk. A little alcohol is good, but if you over do it, you will slur your speech, forget your routine and get clumsy. That won't be good.
• Try not to laugh at your own jokes.
• If you notice someone in the audience that is really getting into your routine, concentrate most, not all, of your attention on them.
• If you are going to insult someone in the audience, choose only ONE table full of people to insult. Don't insult the whole crowd. That way, there is one victim or group of victims for every one else to laugh at.
• On stage the room will be pretty dark and there will be a blinding spot light in your face.
• Be careful on stage your first time. Don't make the same mistake I made my first time: I was so scared and excited at the same time, that I almost tripped and fell down the stairs, getting off stage. People laughed at it though!
• Don't scream into the mic. If you are going to yell something, move the microphone away from your mouth.
• Act things out a little and use a few props if you want. It always helps.
• Carry a small tape recorder and when you think of something funny, say it into the tape recorder. Or call your voice mail and record it there.
• Some times it helps and makes things easier if you think of a good punch line first, then build the rest of the joke around that.
• If you get a Heckler who is trying to steal your fire in the audience, and he is talking trash about you and your jokes, turn it around and make jokes about him. Make him look bad.

[christamiller]

on 9/28/2009 Awesome article, man. I laughed just thinking about it. Although... some find death funny even when it's just referring to random people, as long as the death was funny. (Examples, The Darwin Awards, and Dane Cook, "You know how some people, when they bite it and the show it on the news, you laugh? Like who gets killed by bees?!") I think it's a way to make people feel better about their inevitable demise.

[irussell]

on 8/3/2009 I really like your tips for writing a great joke routine. It takes work to do it.

[bakerthebrand]

on 7/22/2009 Great post. 5 stars.

[pamelaa75]

on 7/16/2009 Great article on how to write a great joke 5*s

[daverizz]

on 7/14/2009 Good information on breaking into a tough industry. I hope your efforts pay off!