Author Archives: Matt Willard

A while ago, I listed my favorite books about comedy writing, but usually it’s a good idea to read as many books on a subject as you can. As such, here’s a couple more I’d like to recommend. They aren’t my personal favorites, but they’re useful enough that they’re worth a read. The Comedy Bible, by Judy Carter This one’s also geared around standup, but focuses on a particular style that may not be for you if you like flexibility in your humor. Still, the book offers great information about writing and improving your act, with lots of helpful tips …

A long time ago when this column first began, I showed how you can use relationships to create comparisons with another idea. This is an easy way to get a laugh if you compare ideas that people are familiar with. Why, at one point, a “30 people who disliked this are Beiber fans” comment on a YouTube music video was clever for that very reason! Today I’d like to give you an expanded list of ideas to consider when looking for relationships. Use it to spurn your thinking. These questions are deliberately huge so you can fit any kind of …

Now, I’ll be honest with you, folks. I hate terrible writing. (You should see me debate the logistics of awful characterization in Japanese giant robot cartoons.) Naturally, I hate what I perceive as terrible comedy writing, and so I’ve always strided to create the best writing possible. This Became A Problem. I mean, this is perfectionism. It’s always a problem. Yeah, a desire for excellent quality will ensure you strive to write the best material possible, and I love how that anal-retentiveness keeps me on autopilot. But then you get too anal and it becomes a self-doubting war of “is …

As I’ve mentioned before, you can’t milk a joke for too long, or it gets stale pretty quickly. The rule of three is a good…well, rule of thumb for keeping that in mind. It hits a sweet spot that Goldilocks would die for – not too long, but not so short that it loses the effect. Rule of three jokes work like a list, and the first two parts serve to setup whatever assumption you’re trying to shatter. Let me demonstrate by writing up a rule of three joke on the fly. (As always, these concepts don’t have to be …

One of my favorite ways to stay sharp is to keep a notebook of various topics. Once you’ve developed the habit of keeping a notebook, you’ll have an easier time coming up with topics to write about, and you’ll even have a ready-made list of references for punchlines, which can really help speed up joke writing. A notebook can be filled with all kinds of topics: Current Events Hit up your favorite newspaper or news website for the latest updates to Planet Earth. Don’t just stick to top stories – look in the Life section or even the comics and …

Writing good humor involves a bag of tricks not everyone has on standby. It’s not something to be ashamed about – some people just aren’t meant for writing humor, just like I’m not meant to ever go back to Alabama. But if you want to increase your chances of success – and have a fun time – I’d recommend following these principles. 1. You gotta have a sense of humor. Painfully obvious advice, I know, but you’d be amazed how people can be given obvious advice and never acknowledge it. (Trust me, I’ve been there.) You need a lighthearted view …

Lately I’ve found that I’m one of those guys who only really learns his lesson once he’s made a buttload of big mistakes. On the one hand, big failures really suck and can get you down, but on the other, they’re a valuable tool in discovering what works best for you. But you’ve already heard this “failure is good” part before, I bet, so lemme cut to the finish line. You want to know the single best way to develop your humor writing skills? Shoot, you want to know the single best way to develop ANY skill? Keep these two …