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Comedy: Writing Your Own Comedy Material and Hiring a Free Lancer

Putting on a comedy act is never an easy task. That is because making people laugh is a tedious and serious matter. A joke can invoke endless laughter on a person but not in another.

That way, the greatest challenge a comedian must face is the challenge of making his jokes and antics click not just to a few of the audiences but basically to almost all of them.

Surely, you can never please everybody, and no matter how seasoned and experienced a comedian, there would still be flaws that would inevitably rise up from his performance.

The audience's preference is also ever-changing. With the emergence of many other forms of media portals, a joke can be overexposed to a wider scope of audience. Thus, the audience tends to be weary and seeks out other, newer jokes.

Experts advise comedians and would-be-comedians to take ample preparation prior to the performance to make sure a comedy session would be a sure hit.

You would be amazed to know that even seasoned comedians prepare their own material. Material is somehow like a script that a comedian has to memorize for presentation.

The significant actions, props, sequences and special instructions are also indicated in the material. Thus, it becomes the standard and necessary guide that would help the comedian put on the act smoothly and effectively.

Writing the Material

It isn't easy to write comedy material. Comedians would certainly and easily agree that performing is much easier compared to writing a comedy material.

That is because writing material is a special and tedious task that would require the writer to focus, brainstorm, solicit ideas from others and think insanely of ways that would surely be funny to other people.

Here are some simple guidelines that would help you write your own comedy material.

o Know your audience. This is the first and most basic requirement when you are about to write a comedy material. To know the audience, be prepared to know something about their demographics, their likes and dislikes, their culture, their religion and all basic information about them. By doing so, you will be able to write jokes or punch lines that would be appropriate and funny.
o Know your ability and be familiar with your own performance technique. Of course, you shouldn't write material that you think you can't properly and funnily execute. Know your audience and know your capabilities. Be humble and honest and accept your limitations as a performer.
o Brainstorm. Hold conversations with people. Observe the streets. Eavesdrop. Think of funny experiences. There are many venues and experiences where you could base the material you are writing about.
o Avoid offensive jokes. Sexist, racist and anti-religion jokes are taboos when it comes to comedy performances.
o Recycle old jokes by modifying them or putting on new twists, characters or venues. That way, though a joke would seem too cliché, the audience won't easily recognize them and would be trapped to laugh at the recycled joke, without their full awareness.

Hiring a Free Lancer

There are times when a comedian seems to have run out of ideas for his own material. That is healthy. There also come times when the comedian has to pause and take rest from writing his own performance material.

That is like a battery recharging, and would ensure the comedian won't run out of fresh ideas.

Collaboration with good materials writer would also be of good advantage because the comedian is exposed to a different forms of concepts and ideas.

It would be healthy because the audience would find variation and diversity in the comedian's general performance.

To hire a free lancer, you should take recommendations from peers. Also make sure the free lance writer is experienced in doing such tasks.

If you are a comedian who is adept in maintaining and boosting his own image and track-record, be sure not to easily rely on untested materials from free lancers.

Either you write your own material or hire a free-lancer to do so, you should take heart in comedy and performance before you attempt to perform in front of an audience.

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