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Home > So You Say You Wanna Be Discovered Eh? - Advice For The New Actor
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Comedy Writing Tips - 10 Start Lines To Use by Scott Schaefer
If you write jokes, or have tried to write jokes, you may have discovered that, while some jokes "write themselves" (the easy ones), others require some serious kick-starting.
It is with the latter in mind that I have created this list of ten Jokestarter "start lines" that can help you, especially when trying to write a joke based on a news event (ie: "Weekend Update" on SNL). These jokestarters come from my own experience as a writer for "The Arsenio Hall Show" in the early 90s, when we scoured newspapers looking for weird news stories to base monologue jokes and bits on.
From experience, I can honestly say that yes, dying is easy, but comedy is hard. Writing good jokes takes time, lots of effort and thought, and lots of "working out" your comedic muscles through using starter lines like the ones listed below.
Consider this list as a starting point in itself - by no means is it definitive or in any particular order; it is just intended to help you come up with starter lines that may lead to a decent joke.
Ultimately of course, it's up to you to work your humorous muscles, but these might help you start you flex your funnybones:
1. In a related development... (use this when you can come up with a parallel gag)
2. In a related story... (same idea as #1, just slightly different)
3. Not to be outdone... (use this when there's a rival or another person that may fit into the concept)
4. Authorities are on the lookout for... (best for crime-related events, and best to use when you can come up with a twist gag)
5. ____ first became aware of the ____ when they... (good for stories where something ridiculous happened and the cops/peeps in charge acted stupid)
6. Gee, when a _____ does _____, doesn't that _____? (good for conversational moments when you wanna go all Seinfeld on your audience)
7. And everyone wonders why... (another Seinfeld-esque line that is more conversational but usually leads into a strong/edgy, opinionated statement)
8. This isn't the first time _____ has done ______... (good for when you can come up with a similar, fake event that mirrors/parellels the weird story's main character's stupid actions)
9. The last time _____ did something this smart was when he/she _____ (similar to #8, only with a bit more 'tude)
10. If you think that was bad/stupid, you should see _____ (another 'tude-filled setup line that can lead to a strong punchline).
Scott Schaefer is a three-time National Emmy Award winning comedy writer ("BILL NYE THE SCIENCE GUY", PBS/Disney) with over 21 years' experience in TV/video, multimedia, marketing, advertising and the internet.
About the Author
He is also Creator/Editor of http://www.jokestarter.com, where he provides free joke ideas, comedy writing tips, weird news headlines and more.
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