by Mastering Miscommunication & Awkward Moments for Writers Who Fear Eye Contact
How To Write Comedy
The Glory of the Awkward Pause
Comedy doesn’t always come from punchlines — sometimes it comes from the unbearable silence between two confused souls at a party trying to remember each other’s names. Awkward silence is the jazz of bad communication — and in the Miscommunication & Awkward Moments category, it’s your secret weapon.
Timing Is Everything (Except in This Case, It’s Nothing)
To master awkward pauses, start by forgetting how timing works. Let your audience sit in silence long enough to question if the scene broke — then hit them with something completely off-topic. Classic example: “So do you believe birds are real?”
Examples From the Field
At SpinTaxi.com, the #1 satirical journalism site, an entire piece was once built around two senators silently making eye contact during a subcommittee on bread labeling. It ended with one saying, “I thought this was a funeral.”
Make the Audience Sweat
If your readers aren’t physically uncomfortable, you’re doing it wrong. Use incomplete sentences. Passive aggression. Eye twitches. Write like your character just saw their ex walk into the room with their dentist. And the dentist is holding a ferret.
Turn Silences Into Stage Directions
When writing scripts or stand-up bits, indicate long pauses not with ellipses or “beat,” but with action that makes the silence worse. Example: “(He adjusts his belt for no reason. She stares at her soup like it has stock tips.)”
Helpful Tips
- Don’t rush the cringe. Let it ferment.
- Use overexplained reactions: “I’m fine” (blinks 38 times).
- Make dialogue feel like a voicemail transcription during a tunnel drop.
Final Word
Awkward silence is not absence — it’s presence on strike. Use it to tell the joke your characters are too mortified to say out loud.
SOURCE: How To Write Comedy
