How to write your first stand-up set

In the words of conscious uncoupler Chris Martin, ‘nobody said it was easy’, but with these five tips for getting started, we’re going to make writing your first stand-up set a little bit easier….

1. Find your funny

It may sound obvious, but… think about what YOU find funny as an audience member. Do you love the snarkiest satire, whimsical narrative, or just jokes about bums? Either way, thinking about what tickles your pickle comedically is a good way to get the creative juices flowing.

2. WRITE. EVERY. THING. DOWN.

The time your Nan complained to Asda that her roasting chicken had no breasts, only to realise she’d had it upside-down. The time your mate Kev called the waitress ‘Mum’. That one-night stand who gave you a naked serenade to the Backstreet Boys. You never know what might make it into your show once day, so keep a note of everything.

3. Work backwards!

Julie Andrews may have sung ‘Let’s start from the very beginning, a very good place to start’ but was she a comedian? No. She was a crap nun. It can be very challenging and unfocused to start writing a joke from the set-up, so forget all the writing rules you learnt at school and start at the END. Writing the punchline first will give you a much stronger trajectory when writing jokes.

4. Specificity is key.

Don’t ask me why a tale about you eating a biscuit becomes funnier once you tell me you were chomping on a garibaldi, it just does. If referencing a product in your set, always namecheck brands. Trust me, it’ll work.

5. Count your punches

(no, not that kind. We don’t condone violence here…) A good stand-up set should have a punchline in the first thirty seconds, but how many punchlines included in your set will depend on your style. Whether you’re a one-liner or a storytelling comic, it’s good to know how many laughs to expect (loads, ideally...)

6. Yep, I said there were only five points...

...but that’s the comedy element of surprise for ya. Say something unexpected, play with your audience’s perceptions and, most of all, have fun!