by Comedy Writing Tips: A Real Guide to Writing Jokes That Actually Land
Comedy writing is an ancient and noble art, dating back to when one caveman hit another with a rock and yelled, “It’s called physical comedy, Gorg!” Since then, humanity has evolved from banana peels to Netflix specials, from Aristophanes to Amy Schumer, from fart jokes to—well, better-structured fart jokes.
So how do you actually write comedy that lands? How do you craft jokes that don’t just amuse you in your shower monologues but slay on stage, page, or screen?
This is your no-fluff, sarcasm-laced, example-stuffed guide packed with comedy writing tips to help you become the kind of writer who gets laughs—on purpose.
What Makes Comedy Work?
Let’s get one thing straight: comedy is not just “telling jokes.” It’s the art of releasing tension through surprise.
A joke is a pressure valve on human discomfort—about politics, relationships, death, cats who act like landlords, and our collective failure to understand taxes.
What Comedy Does:
- Reveals absurdity in truth
- Brings clarity to chaos
- Connects people through laughter
- Punches up (when done ethically)
- Distracts you from your existential dread (at least until the check comes)
Before you write a joke, remember the engine: truth + timing = laughter.
Comedy Writing Tip: Start with a Strong Premise
Every joke, sketch, or stand-up bit starts with a premise: the core idea driving the funny.
A premise is a truth with tension. It’s a situation that’s weird, uncomfortable, or ironic—but not yet a joke.
Bad Premise: “Dating is hard.”
Good Premise: “Dating apps are like slot machines with commitment issues.”
Tips for Finding a Premise:
- Mine your pet peeves (Why is oat milk $7?)
- Ask “What if…” and push it to absurdity
- Flip a cliché (“Children are innocent” → “Children are tiny sociopaths with crayons”)
- Observe weird logic in daily life
- Start fights with platitudes
Use Classic Joke Structure: Setup + Punchline
This is the skeleton of most great comedy writing:
Setup – Establish a shared reality
Punchline – Break that reality in a surprising (and funny) way
“I just flew in from Chicago… and boy are my arms tired.”
The punchline twists the expectation set by the setup.
Variations:
- Misdirection: “My therapist said I have abandonment issues. She didn’t show up to our last session.”
- Rule of Three: “I like hiking, yoga, and avoiding people I went to high school with.”
Comic Timing on the Page
Timing isn’t just for stand-up. In writing, it’s everything.
- Line breaks: Isolate the punch.
- Short sentences: Let them hit hard.
- White space: Breathe.
I asked my ex if we could be friends.
He said we already were.
That’s how I found out we’d broken up.
Comedy Writing Tip: Be Specific
Vague = dead. Specific = hilarious.
Not funny: “I hate when people talk during movies.”
Funnier: “There’s a woman in my theater narrating Frozen II like it’s a hostage negotiation.”
Add precision, not clutter:
“I don’t trust billionaires.”
Better: “I don’t trust anyone who owns an island and calls it ‘Steve.’”
Know Your Comic Persona
Your comic voice is the personality behind your jokes.
Common Personas:
- The Underachiever: “I’m a mess and it’s your problem now.”
- The Know-It-All: “Let me explain your own trauma to you.”
- The Absurdist: “Reality is an illusion and so is this taco.”
- The Innocent: “Why does nobody love me at Trader Joe’s?”
- The Dark Realist: “I trust no one. Not even this chair.”
Comedy Writing Tip: Punch Up, Not Down
Punching up makes underdogs cheer and jokes age well.
Punching down gets cheap laughs and ages like warm mayonnaise.
Good Targets:
- Hypocrisy
- Power
- Institutions
- Tech overlords with no soul
If your joke punches someone already hurting, revise it.
Use Contrast and Juxtaposition
“My therapist said I’m codependent. I told her I’d stop if she wants me to.”
“My kid asked what a 401k is. I said it’s what adults cry about in Target.”
Compare what doesn’t belong. That’s where the magic is.
Subvert Expected Emotion
“My boyfriend said he loved me for my brain. Then he asked if I had a backup.”
“At my dad’s funeral, I realized he finally had an excuse not to show up.”
Comedy is emotional misdirection with glitter.
Comedy Writing Tip: Use Callbacks
Callbacks are like comedic boomerangs.
Early: “I’m allergic to commitment. I break out in relationships.”
Later: “So I’m in the ER with hives and a boyfriend. Go figure.”
Write First, Judge Later
Write a lot. Most of it will suck. That’s fine.
- Freewriting
- 10 punchlines for one setup
- Make bad jokes worse until they’re funny again
“I wrote 100 jokes today. One was funny. The rest are used in CIA sleep deprivation programs.”
Comedy Writing Tip: Use Weird Analogies
Normal: “My coworker is like a Swiss Army knife.”
Weird (and better): “My coworker is like a haunted vending machine—sticky, unpredictable, and filled with sadness snacks.”
Satire Is More Than Sarcasm
Satire is targeted. Sarcasm is tone.
Bad sarcasm: “Oh, politicians are super honest.”
Better satire: “Congress passed a law requiring honesty. The bill immediately lied about its contents.”
Comedy Writing Tip: Use Lists (Then Break Them)
Example: Signs your date is a narcissist:
- He talks about himself constantly
- He orders for you
- He brings a mirror and names it Brad Jr.
Rewrite Like a Sadistic Editor
Your first draft is a cry for help with punchlines. Rewrite like a villain with a red pen.
Original: “He was nervous and fiddling with his tie.”
Better: “He was so nervous, he waterboarded himself with his tie.”
Study Comedy Like a Nerd
Watch. Pause. Rewind. Ask why the joke worked.
- George Carlin – language + rhythm
- Tina Fey – dialogue + structure
- Bo Burnham – meta + music
- Sarah Silverman – taboo with heart
- Ron White – stories + sass
- Groucho Marx – wordplay
Steal the Structure, Not the Joke
Study the format. Build your own material with it.
Comedy Is Pain in a Funny Hat
Your trauma is funny. Eventually.
“My therapist said I have intimacy issues. I told her I loved her and blocked her.”
Theme Your Material
Themes create flow and discovery. Try:
- Dating
- Work
- Tech
- Aging
- Mental health
Comedy Writing Tip: Play With Format
Try:
- Satirical news
- One-liners
- Memes
- Song parodies
- PowerPoint comedy (yes, it’s real)
Be Brave. Be Dumb. Be Relentless.
You’ll bomb. You’ll cringe. You’ll wonder why you do this.
And then someone will say:
“That joke was so good, I spit my coffee.”
And you’ll know—it was worth it.
Final Thoughts on Comedy Writing
These comedy writing tips won’t make you famous overnight, but they’ll keep you funny and fearless.
Write. Edit. Bomb. Rewrite. Repeat.
Auf Wiedersehen.
