Comedians are meant to be funny – but what do you think makes them one? Sure it’s their way of delivering and their performance overall. While these two things are important and play a big part in a stand up comedy performance, the material is king. Can a person talk about something serious and make others laugh? If their material isn’t worth laughing at or humorous enough to put the crowd into fits of joy, it’s not good material.
So where do comedians get material? Most comedians take observations, ideas, and stores then weave punchlines and tags throughout creating a comedy set. Learning how a joke works and the mechanics of humor are very important when starting out. However, comedians often twist popular ideas or even buy jokes from other comedians or comedy writers. Material is the lifeblood of comedians and I’ll show you where to mine for comedy gold.
The Importance Of Material
The embarrassment a comedian faces when they realize that their jokes aren’t getting people to laugh, can’t be put into words. Bad sets are common but bombing due to bad material is something that many comedians struggle with when starting a comedy career, but like any set back a bad set can be recovered from. The importance of hitting and lighting up the crowd with your jokes is what modern comedy is all about.
Your material is everything about your show. One bad joke and the audience have lost the spark that connects you to them. So, when comedians start writing or searching for their materials, they should make sure that it is well searched, tested and in as FUNNY as possible to start with.
Don’t be afraid to talk about your funny stories and experiences, because out of everything, comedy, is the one play your funny is embraced. Comedians can often rely too much on fakery and fiction to express their opinions, this is often referred to as hack material. If possible avoid making up stuff just so you can work in a killer punchline you came up with. Making material your own and authentic to you wins over an audience even if it is less funny that a bit from a joke book or made-up story.
Where To Get Material
If you go on a searching spree around the globe of the internet, you will find that there aren’t enough ways from where you can get your material. With high-end search and some late-night evaluation, I can say that I found a few ways, but writing your own material will never beat anything. So, let’s start with that.
Write Your Own Material
A lot of the time it’s just sitting down and thinking of ideas. Brainstorming and pondering. That’s a very boring answer. but very rarely does something just pop into your head. The more you do it the better you become as a writer and at identifying humor in places where others may not notice it.
You can sit in front of a blank Word document for hours in search of writing your jokes, but you won’t get it until you dig deeper into your memories and imaginations. When you are a comedian, the combination of using your wild imagination and your childhood stories is deadly and can be good enough for your material. Start making your jokes. See what about them is funny and what makes people laugh more at your shows.
If you have been in the field of stand-up comedy for quite a while, you might have many friends who are comedians. The best part of the material is that can be said, altered, and written by anyone. This means that comedians can write to the voice and style of other comedians without issue. Sometimes even other comedians will inspire a joke or punchline. It’s fine to be inspired by other comedians’ jokes. Keep in mind that you should not and cannot are copy jokes. This is joke theft and is a comedy sin. When being inspired by other comedians or their jokes it is best done with premises and not the actual punchlines.
When writing the best practice is to build a routine and process. Personally I put on over the ear headphones, load up Dr. Jeffery Thompson’s Creative Mind System, and sip Organifi Pure, a brain-boosting drink. I not only write stand up material for myself this way but I am also hired by other comedians to punch up and write new material as well.
Hire Freelancers To Write Material
When you start your hunt on the internet for the people who can help you write material, you will come across many freelancers working in comedy. There are professional comedy writers on many online sites like Upwork and Fiverr. I myself work on Fiverr. There are many options when it comes to writing something which will suit your style and structure. So, if there is anyone out there looking for their material to be written professionally, it’s your time to try people on these websites. You can always try different people and see which humor works for you. The choices on platforms like these are endless.
There are many headlining and feature comedians who hire comedy writers. Comedians like Bob Hope, Joan Rivers, and Phyliss Diller were famous for hiring comedy writers to craft their sets. It is also a great way for comedians to make money with jokes they can’t or won’t ever use on stage. Remember that once you write and sell a joke it is no longer yours. If you hire a comedy writer make sure that they confirm that you are the sole owner of the material.
The Internet And Pop Culture
The internet is the only thing which is the most unpredictable in this world. If you search hard enough, anything can be used as a joke. A little twist of humor, the way of delivery, a few acts here and there and Kaboom! You have great material. There are a lot of people who find comedy in the most subtle things, so if this is you, it’s your time to shine.
Apart from the internet, you might as well get benefit out of your habit of being a couch potato. Watching old comedy movies, catching their jokes and structures while enjoying the classics, will help give you ideas to mold into your style and create new jokes. Comedy books and stories are also great resources. The goal is to get the juices flowing in your brain and help you come up with tons of material. Again remember that you should be inspired and not lifting jokes from others.
Material is the most important piece of a stand up show. By coming up with great material that fits your style, tone, and act you can make people laugh night in and night out because you put in the time or money into high-quality material.
