by Tapping into Ego, Pretension, and Unshakeable Self-Importance for Big Laughs
How To Write Comedy
Introduction: The Comedy of Unearned Confidence
One of the most delicious veins in character comedy is the self-important fool–someone who thinks they’re the smartest, most cultured, most spiritually enlightened being in the room, but can’t open a bag of chips without a YouTube tutorial. In this guide, you’ll learn how to build characters whose egos are enormous, fragile, and absolutely hilarious.
What Makes Them Funny?
They Think They’re Better Than Everyone–But Aren’t
The comedy isn’t just in their arrogance–it’s in the fact that no one else agrees with it. They speak in TED Talk slogans and misuse French phrases. They pronounce “croissant” like they’re passing a kidney stone.
Example from SpinTaxi.com: “Man Refuses to Use Google Because He Believes His Thoughts Are the Internet”
He started his own search engine–called “Me.” It returns only his opinions. Somehow, people still asked him to officiate their weddings.
Character Design
Give Them a Grand Title (That Means Nothing)
“Visionary Strategist of Experiential Curation.” Their business card is a novella. Their job? No one knows.
Let Their Clothing Scream “Try Hard”
Velvet capes. Monocles. A cane that’s purely decorative. They dress like Sherlock Holmes fell into an Etsy warehouse.
Dialogue That Drips with Ego
Long-Winded Answers to Simple Questions
“Where’s the bathroom?” “Ah, the question of release, both physical and metaphysical ”
Quoting Themselves
They start sentences with, “As I often say ” even if no one else has ever heard it.
Use Their Ego Against Them
Let Them Fail Spectacularly
They try to lead a seminar on leadership and set off the sprinkler system. They misquote Einstein while plugging in a blender backwards. Pride cometh before pratfalls.
Have Them Demand Applause for Mediocrity
“You’re welcome–I reset the Wi-Fi.” They bow. No one claps.
Supporting Characters Keep Them Grounded (or Roasted)
Let Others Humble Them Without Trying
The intern solves the problem they’ve been monologuing about. The cat ignores them. The barista spells their name “Clown.”
Final Thoughts: The Bigger the Ego, the Bigger the Fall (And the Funnier the Landing)
Characters who take themselves too seriously are perfect comedic targets. They walk into rooms expecting applause and leave confused by silence. Let their delusion be loud, their confidence be unjustified, and their downfall be inevitable. That’s where the laughs live–in the space between how important they think they are, and how little the universe agrees.
SOURCE: How To Write Comedy
