Things You'll Need:
- A Notebook
- A Pen and Paper
- An audience
- The Joke Game (optional)
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Step 1
Use common joke formats. For example use "What's the difference between X and Y?", "What do X and Y have in common?", or "What do you get when you cross X and Y?". Take two random things and fill them in replacing X and Y.
Here is a joke I wrote using this format:
What's the difference between trick or treating and a military recruiting station? With one you end up getting a lot of different candy, with the other one you just get suckers! -
Step 2
Another strategy you can use is tell a short story, and then switch it to a place that you totally wouldn't expect the event to take place.
Here's an example of one of those jokes:
Last month, I drew comic strips - while I was doing that, I was earning a nice paycheck. However, my boss and I had some differences. While I was completing my artwork he said "What are you doing drawing??? You need to take some calls!!!" -
Step 3
Bring a notebook and pen with you when you are driving or using public transportation. You never know when a funny joke or idea will hit you. If you are driving, make sure to pull over first before writing your stuff down!!!
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Step 4
If you are performing stand up comedy, find out if the people in that area dislike a sports team or another group of people. For example, if you are in Michigan, make fun of Ohio State. If you're performing for a Marine base, make fun of the Navy or the Air Force. If you perform on a Navy base, make fun of the Marines. This an extremely easy way to win your audience over.
When you're with your friends, make fun of the Navy, the Army, the Air Force, and Marines because they don't know you're making fun of them behind their back! :> -
Step 5
Read news articles and see if you can come up with your own funny twist. Buy a newspaper, or read through news articles online for ideas.
Try this: Go to Dailycomedy.com and read through some of the jokes. Then sign up for an account and write your own jokes. If your jokes make "Staff Pick" some of the time, you're doing great! -
Step 6
Consider purchasing a board game called "The Joke Game" and playing it with some friends. In this game, a player will read the first part of a joke. If you don't know the punchline, you make one up. This is a great way to have a good time and exercise your humor skills.
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Step 7
If a joke doesn't make people laugh, don't scrap it right away. You may need to edit it. For example, your joke may be too wordy.
Other factors can definitely affect the response your audience has. For example, you may have been telling your joke to the wrong audience. Also, some jokes work better written down versus telling it verbally or vice versa.
Comments
julieamandagrac said
on 11/9/2009 Funny! Love it! Very useful!
Dawnella66 said
on 10/13/2009 I love creative and funny writing myself. I had several on ehow. I don't know how funny their are but they made me laugh..lol..*****5
kkertson said
on 9/23/2009 this is a great article! Recommended!
bossypants said
on 9/6/2009 Creativity and humor sure do go hand and hand! What fun inspiration for coming up with your own jokes! Thanks!
violet4me said
on 8/30/2009 Laughter is such a great stress reducer! Looking forward to trying some of these creative ideas to write hillarious jokes. Thanks for the lighthearted article.