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How to Write a Funny Book

Last Updated: January 30, 2024 References

This article was co-authored by Stephanie Wong Ken, MFA and by wikiHow staff writer, Jennifer Mueller, JD . Stephanie Wong Ken is a writer based in Canada. Stephanie's writing has appeared in Joyland, Catapult, Pithead Chapel, Cosmonaut's Avenue, and other publications. She holds an MFA in Fiction and Creative Writing from Portland State University. This article has been viewed 40,594 times.

Writing a funny book can be a fun personal project or a challenging assignment for a class. You may struggle with how to “write funny," especially if humor does not come naturally to you. You can write a book that is considered funny by your readers by creating a story idea that is humorous and by writing your book with the rules of humor in mind. You should then polish your book by showing it to others to see if it gets any laughs, and revise it until it’s as funny as it can be.

Starting the Book

• For example, you may use your own funny experiences to write a story that is funny. Maybe you had a humorous entrance into the world, complete with a premature birth in the back of a moving bus and a mother who didn’t know what to name you, so your name was “Baby” for the first few weeks. Use funny moments in your life as inspiration for an original funny book.
• You can also create a situation that is so absurd it is funny, forcing your characters to deal with a funny situation in your book. For example, maybe your book is set in a dystopian future where people cannot lie. This situation can come across as absurd to your reader and force your characters to deal with being honest all the time.

• For example, maybe your main character is socially awkward and does not know how to approach others, especially at parties. But they always seem to end up going to parties anyway.

• For example, you may take the fairy tale about sleeping beauty and twist it so it becomes more humorous. You may make the sleeping beauty a hyperactive beauty who cannot get to sleep, no matter how much her prince kisses her. Or you may have the sleeping beauty actually turn out to be an old maid who has been waiting so long for the prince, she has aged several centuries.

• Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
• Bossypants by Tina Fey
• Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh
• The Sellout by Paul Beatty

Writing the Book

• For example, you may try to keep the number of jokes in your writing to one to two a page so your reader has time to enjoy the other aspects of your writing besides just the humor. You do not want to come across as a comedian to your reader, especially if you are writing fiction that is supposed to be funny but also tragic and poignant.
• You may also vary the types of jokes you use in your writing so the reader feels you are writing with intent and purpose. You may play with cliches in one passage, and then use humorous language in another passage so your reader is constantly surprised and amused.

• For example, you may take the cliche, “Where there’s smoke…” and then adjust the ending so it is funny and strange. You may write, “Where there’s smoke, there’s our protagonist, Sandra Dee.” You could then continue to play with cliches in your story about Sandra Dee, the budding arsonist.
• You can also expand a cliche so it has more depth and humor to it. For example, you may take a cliche about “a mother’s life is her children” and discuss how protective you really are as a mother. You may use parallels to a mother lion in the jungle protecting her cubs and your tendency to bite at anyone who insults you or your children in any way.

• For example, you may have the sentence: “Being happy is simple: Eat well, fall in love, and take happy pills when it all comes crashing down.” This sentence uses the rule of three, where you have two ideas that are entirely expected and a third idea that is not at all what one would expect.

• You can use language to get your reader laughing by putting funny words in your writing. Many people find words that have a “k” sound to be pretty funny, from “Cadillac” to “quintuplet” as well as words that have a hard “g” sound, such as “guacamole” and “gargantuan.”
• You can also use language that is over the top and embellished so your reader realizes the absurdity of a situation.
• For example, if you are telling a story about how you almost crashed into your parent’s house, you may use describe it as, “I flew through the sleepy, suburban streets at a record breaking pace. I was way past my curfew and so worried about the pissed off look on my mother’s face when I bounded through the front door that I didn’t realize I had already arrived at my parent’s house. Headlights first into the rose garden.”

• For example, you may go for the funniest metaphors you can think of. You may try to compare a feeling or a situation to the most absurd image and then put it in your character’s dialogue.
• You may have your character say, “I would rather floss your cat’s teeth than go out with you.” And you may have another character respond, “Great! My cat has abnormally large molars so make sure you get those while you're at it.”

Polishing the Book

• You can also read the book out loud to others, such as a friend or a family member to see if they laugh or find your writing funny.

• Accept feedback from others on how you can make your book funnier and push the humor a little more. It will only make your book stronger.

Expert Q&A

You Might Also Like

• ↑ http://www.writerswrite.com/journal/may02/seven-steps-to-better-writing-humor-5026
• ↑ http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/blog/writing/2016/08/on-trying-to-write-funny
• ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/funny-books-that-will-make-you-laugh_us_5637d55ce4b027f9b969adc2
• ↑ https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-fiction/how-to-mix-humor-into-your-writing
• ↑ http://writetodone.com/how-to-write-funny/

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• Scriptwriting

How to Write Comedy — Tips, Techniques & Script Examples

A sk any creative writer what the hardest genre to write is and they’ll probably tell you that it’s comedy. That’s because story structure can only bring you so far in comedy writing – the fact of the matter is that if you aren’t funny, you aren’t funny. So how do you become funny? Do you read joke books? No! Like everything else, you practice until you become perfect – well, not perfect per se – most comedy writers would be happy with just okay. We’re going to show you how to write comedy, with script examples from 21 Jump Street and Curb Your Enthusiasm , but first, let’s define comedy writing.

Guide to Comedic Writing

What is comedy writing.

In simplest terms, comedy writing is a genre of writing that is intended to be funny. There’s much more to it than that, but first and foremost, the chief goal is to make the audience laugh. Let’s watch a quick video to hear one of the most successful comedy writers of all-time, Jerry Seinfeld, explain the basics of comedy writing.

Writing Comedy  •  Jerry Seinfeld on How to Write a Joke With The New York Times

Comedy writing is something you don’t see people doing. It’s a secretive thing.

— Jerry Seinfeld

As Seinfeld suggests, comedy writing is a very secretive thing. One reason why is because most comedy writers feel like their material has to be perfect before it’s presented. 

Think about it this way: let’s say you write a dramatic stage play. There’s no way to tell if the audience hated it – except if they fell asleep, then I’d say it’s fair to say they hated it. Now let’s say you write a comedic play. If the audience doesn’t laugh at the jokes, then you know they hated it.

You know, they know, everybody knows – a joke that doesn’t land is a special type of shame . It’s for this reason that comedy writing can feel so personal. The most important thing to remember is that nobody is funny 100% of the time, but by taking inspiration from some of the best, we can improve our craft.

Comedy writing doesn’t have to be a solitary craft. Due to the advent of the internet, comedy is more collaborative now more than ever. This next video explains how the Lonely Island sketch “Dear Sister” helped to usher in a new era of comedy.

How to Write Comedy  •  How ‘Dear Sister’ Changed Comedy by Karsten Runquist

The difference between Seinfeld’s traditionalist advice on comedy writing and Karsten Runquist’s new-age analysis is that one says that comedy is achieved by plot ; the other says that plot is achieved by comedy. Think of memes for example: what makes a meme funny? Well, I’d say memes are funny because somebody doesn’t “get it.”

A meme is like an inside joke between millions of people – but once it breaks out of that “inside” bubble, then it ceases to be funny. This teaches us something essential about comedy writing; almost always, somebody has to be the butt of the joke. No matter how big or small, somebody has to be made fun of. It’s this very notion that makes comedy writing so difficult. 

Rules of Comedy, Explained

Tips and tricks for writing comedy.

One of the most difficult aspects of comedy script writing is finding the right person to perform it. You could write something really clever, but if it’s performed in a tone that’s incongruent to what you mean, then it’s not going to sound funny.

So when writing any sort of comedy, don’t be afraid to add emphasis. That’s true in more ways than one – emphasize the punch-lines to your jokes, emphasize specificity, and emphasize contradictions. 

Like any type of writing, comedy writing relies on conflict . In this scene from Meet the Parents , the family patriarch Jack interrogates his daughter’s boyfriend Greg. Pay attention to how screenwriters Jim Herzfeld and John Hamburg entice us with character conflict.

How to Write Comedy  •  Watch the Meet the Parents Lie Detector Test Scene

I wanted to look at this scene for a couple reasons. The first is that it’s a great structural example of how to put together a comedic scene. The mean dad, clueless boyfriend trope is just that... a trope. So how do the writers make it feel refreshing and new?

Well, it starts with emphasis and exaggeration. Jack isn’t just any dad, he’s a former CIA operative. And Greg’s not just a clueless boyfriend, he’s a walking bad-luck charm. So in a structural sense, this relationship is primed for comedic conflict.

Here are five great tips for writing a comedy scene:

• Take a typical situation and exaggerate it
• Let tension build
• Use specificity
• Embarrass someone
• Finish with a bang

Now let’s see how Meet the Parents  utilizes these five strategies.

• Greg is visiting his girlfriend’s family. This is a typical situation – and at some level, it’s something we can all relate to. But it’s exaggerated by Jack’s CIA background.
• Say you’re the writer of a story like  Meet the Parents  and you have a great structural conflict between two characters (Jack and Greg) – how do you take that tension and build it? Well, start by putting the two characters in close proximity.
• Specificity is a double-edged sword in comedy writing. Notice how Greg is wearing Jack’s pajamas with the little JB insignia on the chest-pocket? That’s funny. Notice how there are a bunch of pictures of Jack undercover in the CIA? That’s funny. And it’s funny because it’s not forced on us.
• Jack embarrasses Greg by asking him uncomfortable questions. Situationally, this is funny, and it’s elevated by Robert De Niro’s great deadpan delivery. 
• Like Jerry Seinfeld said, always save the best joke for last. It’s an expectation in comedy writing that you’re going to end with a bang. In this scene from  Meet the Parents , it’s when Jack asks Greg if he watches porn.

WRITING COMEDY TIPS

How to make your script funny.

Would you believe me when I say there’s a secret technique you can use to instantly make any scene funnier? No, that sounds too good to be true! But alas, it is.

The technique known as irony  – which is defined as being the opposite of what we expect – can turn any scene on its head.

How to Write Comedy  •  21 Jump Street Screenplay

21 Jump Street went through a lengthy rewrite process. In this revision of the script, undercover cops Jenko and Schmidt arrive at a scene somewhat akin to what we see in the original tv show. There’s nothing wrong with the scene as it was originally written – but the final version of the scene shows just how much a difference irony can make.

Here, Jenko takes the lead, expecting to command the crowd like he did in high school. But as Bob Dylan famously said, the times are a-changin’. 

How to Write Comedy  •  Watch 21 Jump Street 

We expect Jenko to be considered “cool.” But instead, he’s condemned. Conversely, we expect Schmidt to be considered “lame.” But instead, he’s celebrated. This is irony . This character dynamic makes 21 Jump Street feel refreshing. If you’re considering writing a comedy script, think about how contrived character stereotypes can be subverted with irony. 

Writing Comedy Taboos

Things to avoid in comedy writing.

Most comedians will tell you that no topic is off-limits in comedy writing. And although that may be true, just remember that it’s really hard to make certain things funny – and you’re not going to win audiences over making jokes about taboo subject matter. 

We’ve all heard the saying “read the room” before, but how do we “read the room” when we’re writing alone? Well, one way is to take notes when you’re out in public, then transcribe them into a routine, sketch, or scene later. If you know Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm , then this process may sound familiar.

This next video explains Larry David’s writing process for Curb in further detail.

Comedy Writing Techniques  •  How to Write Comedy Like Larry David by StoryDive

The reason I bring up Curb in regards to “what to avoid in comedy writing” is because Larry David is a master of navigating that ever-so-delicate line. Take this clip from Curb Your Enthusiasm Season Nine, Ep. 8 for example.

How to Write Humor  •  Study Perspective in this Curb Your Enthusiasm Clip

In this montage scene, a Muslim investigator looks into Larry’s past to see if he deserves a fatwa. In each part of the montage, a delicate subject matter is addressed. Why is it funny? Well, it’s all about perspective. In Curb Your Enthusiasm , Larry is consistently made out to be the bad guy. By framing him as the good guy, we see the ludicrousy of the show’s situations in a new light.

Don’t be afraid to play with perspective. Sometimes, the comedy of a scene is found in a perspective you would’ve never guessed. Consider framing your comedic situations in different ways.

This experimentation will often help you find the best angle to present your jokes.

Comedy lessons from Gene Wilder

We touched on a lot of the foundational aspects of comedy writing, but there’s so much more to it than what we went over here. In this next article, we break down how to direct actors, with special emphasis on how Gene Wilder changed comedy. By studying Wilder’s comedic style, we can learn a lot about how to be a better comedy writer.

Up Next: Directing Comedy Actors →

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How to Write a Good Joke

Last Updated: April 18, 2024 Approved

Sample Jokes

Expert q&a.

This article was co-authored by Kendall Payne . Kendall Payne is a Writer, Director, and Stand-up Comedian based in Brooklyn, New York. Kendall specializes in directing, writing, and producing comedic short films. Her films have screened at Indie Short Fest, Brooklyn Comedy Collective, Channel 101 NY, and 8 Ball TV. She has also written and directed content for the Netflix is a Joke social channels and has written marketing scripts for Between Two Ferns: The Movie, Astronomy Club, Wine Country, Bash Brothers, Stand Up Specials and more. Kendall runs an IRL internet comedy show at Caveat called Extremely Online, and a comedy show for @ssholes called Sugarp!ss at Easy Lover. She studied at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and at New York University (NYU) Tisch in the TV Writing Certificate Program. There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, several readers have written to tell us that this article was helpful to them, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 461,480 times.

One of the best ways to make people laugh is by telling a joke or a funny story. Studies show that jokes and laughter can decrease stress and ease tension. [1] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals Go to source Good jokes can also break the ice in awkward situations. But getting people to laugh requires writing good jokes. With these tips, practice, and remembering to have fun, your good jokes will give many people a good laugh!

Things You Should Know

• The key is to find great material while avoiding controversial topics. For example, your own life is great inspiration, but religious topics are not.
• Write an effective set up and punchline. Lead your audience into the joke with a few details, then come up with a hilarious finish.
• Go big on facial expressions and hand gestures to spice up your delivery. Visual cues can make a good joke great!

• Consider the types of jokes or comedians who make you and your friends or colleagues laugh. Having an idea of jokes that elicit laughter will point the way to finding optimal joke material.
• It's a good idea to think about material for different situations and audiences so that you can tailor your jokes to them. For example, a joke you deliver to break the ice at a job interview (“How much does a polar bear weigh? Enough to break the ice!”) will not be the same as a joke at a family party (“What did the cake say to the knife? You wanna piece of me?”) [2] X Research source

• Topics such as current events, celebrities, or even yourself (known as self-deprecating humor) make excellent joke material. You can find funny material for jokes in almost every situation. [3] X Research source For example: Public figures and their behavior often find themselves the butt of jokes. Comedian Chris D'Elia joked of singer Justin Bieber "You have it all: except love, friends, good parents and a Grammy."
• Newspapers, magazines, or even situations in your own life make excellent joke topics. For instance, you could make a joke about having a “black thumb” with plants: “I bought a cactus. A week later it died. And I got depressed, because I thought, Damn. I am less nurturing than a desert.” [4] X Research source
• Watching famous comedians deliver their jokes during an act is another good source of material. It will also show you how to effectively deliver a joke.

• Jokes about topics such as race and religion are likely to offend many people. While it might be acceptable in some situations, such as among family members, to make off-color jokes, it's best to leave controversial topics off the table for other forums.
• If you're unsure about if your topic or joke will offend someone, it's best to err on the side of caution and leave it out.

• Jokes as a short story are another effective method. However, remember to keep them short! A good example of a joke wrapped in a short story is: “There was once a young man who, in his youth, professed a desire to become a "great" writer. When asked to define "great" he said "I want to write stuff that the whole world will read, stuff that people will react to on a truly emotional level, stuff that will make them scream, cry, wail, howl in pain, desperation, and anger!" He now works for Microsoft writing error messages.”

• Remember "less is more." As you prepare your set up and punchline, remember that you will want to tell your joke in as few words as possible. Avoid unnecessary details and phrases. BJ Novak's joke “Battered women: sounds delicious” and the joke “What did the cake say to the knife? You wanna piece of me?” are examples of jokes that demonstrate the “less is more” strategy. Any other details would have caused the jokes to fall flat. [8] X Research source
• Your set up should be one or two lines, or a few lines for a story. It prepares your audience by creating an expectation and giving them the details they need to understand the punchline. The joke about the dead cactus is a good example of this. The comedian sets up the joke with the lines “I bought a cactus. A week later it died.” [9] X Research source
• The punchline is the “funny” part of your joke that will make people laugh. It builds on the set up and is only one word or one sentence. It often reveals the surprise, irony, or word play to your audience. Again, the dead cactus joke is a good example of a short and funny punchline. After setting up the audience with the details of his plant cactus, the comedian tells us: And I got depressed, because I thought, Damn. I am less nurturing than a desert.” .” [10] X Research source

• A good example of exaggeration and irony is the story about the young man with great aspirations. Most listeners will expect that he fulfilled his wish to write “stuff that people will react to on a truly emotional level, stuff that will make them scream, cry, wail, howl in pain, desperation, and anger!" through novels or short stories. Instead, the surprise is that “He now works for Microsoft writing error messages.”

• You can use tags and toppers as a way to get extra laughs without writing a new joke or needing to set up any material. For example, you could add a topper to the short story by saying “In fact, he's the one screaming, crying, wailing, and howling in pain the most.”

• You'll need to find the joke funny for your audience to feel the same! If you don't find the joke funny or somehow off, revise it until it works for you.

• You're less likely to offend someone if you know your audience. For example, it's probably not advisable to tell the joke about “battered women” to a women's group.

• If your audience doesn't laugh you can make a joke about that or move on to other material. You can always revise the joke for future use.
• Remember that even the best comics have jokes that fall flat. John Stewart, Jerry Seinfeld, Bob Newhart and others aren't funny all the time.

Embrace the joy of performing for others. "I'm really only happy when I'm on stage. I just feed off the energy of the audience. That's what I'm all about - people and laughter."

Reader Videos

• People have different senses of humor. You're not always going to make the entire audience laugh. Getting some people to laugh is already a success! Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
• Don't be discouraged if you don't see people laughing at your jokes. Use "Trial and Error" when writing and delivering jokes. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/stress-management/in-depth/stress-relief/art-20044456
• ↑ https://www.harrytheclown.com/jokes.html
• ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/sep/22/comedy
• ↑ https://nymag.com/nymetro/arts/features/14578/
• ↑ https://www.standupcomedyclinic.com/how-to-write-a-joke-2/
• ↑ Kendall Payne. Standup Comedian. Expert Interview. 3 April 2020.

About This Article

To write a good joke, start by writing a 1 to 2 line set up to prepare your audience for the joke. For example, a set up could be "How much did the polar bear weigh?" Then, write a 1 word or 1 sentence punchline that will reveal the surprise, irony, or word play to your audience. For example, if your set up was "How much did the polar bear weight?" your punchline could be “Enough to break the ice!” Before performing your jokes, practice them so you don’t need to read them off a paper. To learn how to find material for your jokes, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Comedy With Personality

Joke Writing: The Ultimate Free Guide to Joke Structures

Joke structures: how to write stand-up comedy jokes.

Joke Structures , also known as “ joke formats ” or “ joke types ” is a way for comedians to organize a setup and punchline to create a comedic conflict. A “ Joke Formula ” is a conventional joke-writing strategy for making these structures.

Types of Jokes Covered In Faster & Funnier:

• Broken Assumption Jokes
• Exaggeration Jokes
• Misplaced Sincerity Jokes
• Contradictions Jokes
• Rule of Three (List Jokes)
• Omitted Punchlines
• Specificity Jokes
• Callback Lines
• Self-Depreciation Jokes

If you ever catch yourself asking “Should I use a Rule Of Three joke here?” … then you’re missing the point . Best case scenario, you will come out VERY mechanical and choppy. However, if you understand how to create the comedic conflict then you’ll no longer have to worry about the structure of the material.

Joke structures are probably the most over-emphasized part of stand-up comedy. Today joke structures play a much smaller role than they did in early stand-up comedy. They still do have their place in stand-up comedy… just not in the spotlight.

How To Write Broken Assumption Jokes

Free joke writing lesson: broken assumption jokes.

Every time you speak you’re giving the listener information about the who, what, where, when, why, or how of your story.

Some of this information is EXPLICIT , meaning you actually say it. The rest is IMPLICIT , meaning the listener assumes it.

Take a simple sentence: “ I went to the grocery store. “

The sentence explicitly tells you WHO (“I”) and WHERE (“grocery store”), but not WHAT, WHEN, WHY, or HOW. So 2 pieces of information are explicit (written in green)

Who – What – Where – When – Why – How

Next, you make assumptions: You know GROCERY STORE, so it’s IMPLIED that I want to buy food. You likely assume that I drove a car or walked as well. Now you have 4 pieces of information (the assumptions are in red):

Why  = “needed to buy food”  How  = “probably drove his car”

I call the break from the assumption to the new interpretation “shifts” because the punchline shifts the original understanding of the joke . The safety of the joke comes from the first interpretation. The punchline creates a violation by changing one of the assumptions created. Conventional jokes almost always use these “shifts” to create humor.

Take this setup from Steve Martin:

I gave my cat a bath the other day… they love it. He sat there, he enjoyed it, and  it was fun for me too.

As an audience member, here’s what we EXPLICITLY know:

Who  – What – Where – When – Why – How

And here’s what we can safely assume.

Where = “the bathroom” Why = “the cat was dirty” and How = “He put the cat in the bath”

Now the punchline will break one of our assumptions.

I gave my cat a bath the other day… they love it. He sat there, he enjoyed it, and  it was fun for me too. The fur would stick to my tongue , but other than that… (Steve Martin) Setup/Punchline: He put the cat in the bathtub vs.  He licked his cat

Here’s an example from Bill Engvall. Notice what information you assume as you read through.

[Golf] So finally, on about the fifteenth tee, I hit the drive of my life… And I watch this ball just go and go and . . . kind of hit this guy in the head. And I felt bad, but he overreacted, I thought. I mean, it wasn’t like a square hit; it just kind of glanced off his head. But he goes whippin’ his car off the freeway , like “here we go!” Mr. Attitude! (Bill Engvall) Setup/Punchline: A person on a golf course vs. A person driving on the highway

This is a “ Who-Shift .” Engvall hides the true identity of the guy he hit with the ball until he reveals that wasn’t actually another golfer (or assumption), but a driver. He didn’t talk about the when, nor do we make assumptions about it. The when is entirely left out.

Who  –  What  –  Where  – When –  Why  –  How

GUY HIT BY BALL:

Who  –  What  –  Where  – When – Why – How

Leave Out Some Info

Notice that WHEN is often undefined. This is the most common piece of information to leave out because it usually doesn’t play a role in the story or joke. In my example, I say that I “went” to the store, so you know it’s in the past… but that’s all. If the actual date/time doesn’t matter, either don’t mention it or use a short phrase like “The other day” or “I once went to …” Both Steve Martin and Bill Engvall skipped the “when” in the examples. They keep it very generic so that they can move on to more important information.

Recall that an audience needs to go through 3 stages to understand a joke: construction, recognition, and resolution . During construction the listener picks out what they think will be important information. By editing out the WHEN in our joke, the comedian makes it easier for the audience to figure out what information will be important to the punchline. Do not give the audience too much info or they will have to sort through tons of information to construct a joke.

Examples of Broken Assumption Joke Shifts

EXAMPLE: (WHO-SHIFT) : When you’re single all you see are couples… but when you’re a part of a couple, all you see are hookers. (Jim Gaffigan)

EXAMPLE: (WHAT-SHIFT) : Cross country skiing is great if you live in a small country. (Stephen Wright)

EXAMPLE: (2x WHAT-SHIFT) : “She Had The Best Pussy” (Steve Martin)

EXAMPLE: (WHERE-SHIFT) : And I watch this ball just go and go and . . . kind of hit this guy in the head. And I felt bad, but he overreacted, I thought. I mean, it wasn’t like a square hit; it just kind of glanced off his head. But he goes whippin’ his car off the freeway (Bill Engval)

EXAMPLE: (WHEN-SHIFT) : [while snow-skiing with his family] I hit two trees and fell down a ditch. And that was just walking from the lodge. (Bill Engval)

EXAMPLE: (WHY-SHIFT) : I believe you should place a woman on a pedestal – high enough so you can look up her dress. (Steve Martin) 

EXAMPLE: (HOW-SHIFT) : I gave my cat a bath the other day… they love it. He sat there, he enjoyed it, if was fun for me. The fur would stick to my tongue, but other than that… (Steve Martin)

Summary: Broken Assumptions

• When you speak, you are giving the listener both EXPLICIT and IMPLICIT information about the Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How of your story.
• The audience creates assumptions based on the explicit information . These assumptions are then broken in the punchline.
• “When” is often left out of material or quickly brushed aside with a comment like “lately” or “awhile back”

Get the FULL Joke Writing Guide For a HUGE Discount

• International edition
• Australia edition
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How to write a joke

Most jokes are based on surprise. They take advantage of a confusion of language, or a twist in logic, or a contradiction of some perceived truth, or sometimes just saying something so shocking and offensive that the audience will gasp and then (hopefully) guffaw.

As with all comedy laws, however, the opposite is also true. Some comedians make a marvellous living doing material that is completely predictable, that reminds people of things that they already know or jokes that they are already familiar with.

But go back to even the most simple gag and you will see that "surprise" is at the heart of it.

Man 1: My dog has no nose. Man 2: How does he smell? Man 1: Terrible.

Man 1 reveals he is the owner of a canine, who, for whatever reason, has an absence of the olfactory organ. Man 2, our brain logically assumes, wishes to know how a noseless hound can discern aroma. However, Man 1 believes the enquiry is about the mutt's hygiene and answers accordingly. For a moment we are confused, then our brain shifts to encompass the other, less likely definition. We laugh.

Except that this is such an old joke and so familiar to everyone but the tiniest child that we know full well what the punchline will be, so the only chance of getting a genuine response is by subverting it:

Man 1: My dog has no nose. Man 2: How does he smell? Man 1: He can't. He doesn't have a nose.

How will you know if your joke is funny? The terrifying thing is that you can't really be certain until you try it in front of other people. Even professionals are never sure until they hear the reassuring sound of laughter. Or don't.

· Train your brain to be looking for possible material everywhere and start small. The better you get at observation, the better you will be as a writer.

· Always carry a notebook with you. Write down anything that strikes you as even slightly amusing. It might come in useful.

· Write with a partner. Not only will they let you know if your idea is funny, but you should also be able to spark off each other, if you have the requisite chemistry.

· Read as much as you can: newspapers, books, pamphlets you find on the train. A news story might provide a plot for a sitcom, or something to satirise in a sketch or just be funny enough to read out verbatim on stage. Or just get you thinking about something you had never considered before.

· If you are totally blocked then choose a topic at random. It can be anything: cheese, ghosts, Guy Fawkes, love. Then try and think of something funny about it. Do some proper research. I found out that on discovery with his gunpowder, Guy Fawkes had claimed he was called John Johnson, surely the most unimaginative pseudonym ever. There was a sketch in that obscure fact.

· Have a conversation with a child. Their unfettered imagination might inspire you or take an idea in an unexpected direction.

Exercise: Defamiliarisation

Use people's expectation of the familiar. Look through a dictionary of proverbs, find a well-known saying and see if you can come up with an alternative and amusing second line. Here are two of mine:

To be or not to be ...

That is the first and only question on the University of Bee Keeping entrance exam.

What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon and three legs in the evening?

Paul McCartney and his wives.

• How to write
• Richard Herring

More on this story

Writing for stand-up, joke's on you, where funny ideas come from, honing a joke, writing sketches, the comedian's toolbox, writing sitcom, most viewed.

How to Write a Joke Book

Have you ever wanted to write a hilarious joke book that makes people laugh when they read it? Luckily, there is a simple, mechanical process that anyone can follow to generate 120 pages of comedy jokes.

Step 1 : Decide how many jokes you are going to write. To do this, pick a nice round number, such as 100 or 1000, and then add 1. Shoppers will be impressed by your surfeit of imagination and jokesmanship.

Step 2 : Breathe a sigh of relief, because the hard part is over. Now all you have to do is write 101 or 1001 jokes. Lucky for you, there are only three types of joke: story, riddle, and “knock knock”. Each has a well-defined form.

For example, “Knock knock” jokes always begin with the line “knock knock”, and not with seemingly similar variations like “here I am!” or “what’s happening, buddy?”. The following joke, from 101 Laugh Out Loud (LOL) Jokes Volume 3, demonstrates the perils of straying from the formula:

“Are you in there?” “Hang on, I’m coming!” “Rich.” “What’s that?!” “Rich for the sky, this is a stick-up!” “I said I’m coming!”

Step 3 : Many English words have multiple meanings. You may have heard of the technical term for these: “joke words”. The realisation that one word can mean two things is always funny. Study the following riddle joke from 501 “ Priceless ” Financial Jokes for Investment Bankers :

Q: How is a withdrawal from a term deposit like your child’s ballet recital? A: They both make you lose interest!

Notice how you burst into laughter when you read the word ‘interest’? That’s because it’s a joke word - it means both ‘attention’ and ‘a sum paid for the use of money’.

At least 50% of the jokes in your book should follow this pattern. That sounds like a lot, but it’s easier than you think. Just write a list of every joke word you can think of, then form each one into a hilarious joke. Sometimes you will forget to use both meanings of the joke word, but that’s okay, as demonstrated by this gag from 1,001 Jokes from the Wacky World of History!!! :

How was Depression-era racehorse Phar Lap like Alexander the Great’s horse Bucephalus? Because they were both horses!

Did you know? The world record for the best joke word is held by James Joyce, for this joke from Ulysses: The Companion Joke Book :

How is an invoice for valuable goods like a proposed law and also like a thousand pound banknote and also like the list of acts at an all-night cabaret show and also like the beak of an Aylesbury duck? Because they are all large bills!

Cambridge University is offering a £1,000,001 prize for anyone who can prove the existence of a joke word with 6 different meanings.

Step 4 : There are many English words that sound similar to other English words. Strictly speaking, these are not joke words, but can still be used to create hilarious riddles:

What is hot, dark, sonorous and full of marshmallow? S’more-gan Freeman!

Note that there is a similarity between the word “s’more” and the first syllable of Morgan Freeman’s name. The above joke, from 10,001 Classic Hollywood In-jokes, combines these to a form a hilarious new invented phrase: ’ S’more-gan Freeman ’. Re-read the joke until you understand.

Write down all words or phrases that sound similar to each other. Using the above template, you should be able to create at least one excellent joke from each pair.

Step 5 : Eventually, you will run out of joke words and words that sound similar to each other. At this point, select a group of people whose nationality or physical characteristics are suggestive of negative character traits (called ‘joke groups’). By convention, these are:

• blondes (known for stupidity);
• the Irish (known for stupidity and alcoholism);
• the Scots (known for alcoholism and parsimony);
• the Jews (known for parsimony and noses); and
• mothers-in-law (known for being annoying, fat, dumb, old, and disapproving of my career choices).

Without delving too deep into joke theory, these jokes work by revealing that a certain character possesses the relevant negative character trait to a surprising degree. But what qualifies as ‘surprising’ will change over time. The level of stupidity required to make an Irish joke has skyrocketed in recent years, as shown in this joke from 1,000,001 Jokes About Other Races (2015 Edition) :

An Englishman, a Frenchman and an Irishman are at a bar. The Englishman says to the others, “The English countryside is the most beautiful in the world. From the steep, weathered cliffs of Yorkshire to the picturesque country lanes of Suffolk, there is every sight a man could ever hope to see.” “ Non, non! ” the Frenchman replies. “It is the French countryside that is the most beautiful! From peaceful Picardy down to the majestic Pyrenees. I hope to die with beautiful France before mes yeux .” The Irishman says, “To be sure, I think ye’re both wrong.” Before he can finish, he falls off his stool and breaks his arm, but he doesn’t even know about ambulance cover, so his friends end up taking him home in a cab but he can’t remember his address because he’s so stupid, so he ends up sleeping outside in the cold. He also loses his job later because he is a drunk and is really, really dumb, even for an Irishman, but he can’t collect unemployment benefits because he can’t fill out the form correctly, and he tries to call his family for support but he can’t remember any of their phone numbers either or where they live so he dies.

Congratulations, you have written a joke book. Even if it’s not very good, people will still buy it - usually as a gift for somebody they once heard tell a joke but don’t know very well. Now send it off to your nearest publishing house!

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• How to Tell a Joke: An Ancient Guide to the Art of Humor

In this Book

• Marcus Tullius Cicero Selected, translated, and introduced by Michael Fontaine
• Published by: Princeton University Press
• Series: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers

Timeless advice about how to use humor to win over any audience Can jokes win a hostile room, a hopeless argument, or even an election? You bet they can, according to Cicero, and he knew what he was talking about. One of Rome’s greatest politicians, speakers, and lawyers, Cicero was also reputedly one of antiquity’s funniest people. After he was elected commander-in-chief and head of state, his enemies even started calling him “the stand-up Consul.” How to Tell a Joke provides a lively new translation of Cicero’s essential writing on humor alongside that of the later Roman orator and educator Quintilian. The result is a timeless practical guide to how a well-timed joke can win over any audience. As powerful as jokes can be, they are also hugely risky. The line between a witty joke and an offensive one isn’t always clear. Cross it and you’ll look like a clown, or worse. Here, Cicero and Quintilian explore every aspect of telling jokes—while avoiding costly mistakes. Presenting the sections on humor in Cicero’s On the Ideal Orator and Quintilian’s The Education of the Orator , complete with an enlightening introduction and the original Latin on facing pages, How to Tell a Joke examines the risks and rewards of humor and analyzes basic types that readers can use to write their own jokes. Filled with insight, wit, and examples, including more than a few lawyer jokes, How to Tell a Joke will appeal to anyone interested in humor or the art of public speaking.

Table of Contents

• Half-Title Page, Title Page, Copyright
• pp. vii-viii
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• pp. xi-xxxiv
• How to Tell a Joke. Cicero
• On the Art of Humor. Quintilian
• pp. 142-270
• pp. 271-274
• pp. 275-288
• Bibliography and Further Reading
• pp. 289-292

Additional Information

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‘Seinfeld’ star Michael Richards: I yelled racist remarks because heckler said I wasn’t funny

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“Seinfeld” star Michael Richards obliquely opens up about his notorious racist tirade in his upcoming memoir, “ Entrances and Exits .”

The 74-year-old, who played Kramer, lashed out —  unleashing a stream of racial slurs — at a comedy club audience that heckled him in 2006.

Richards writes that he was still smarting from the failure of his post-“Seinfeld” sitcom “The Michael Richards Show,” which lasted only eight episodes in 2000 — despite there being six years between the series’ cancellation and the incident at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles.

The comedian writes that, during his set, he heard talking coming from the balcony and yelled “Shut the f–k up!” to the delight of the audience.

He then heard someone from the balcony call out: “‘You’re not funny. We don’t think you’re very funny!'”

Richards writes that he took the remark “pretty hard. A solid punch below the belt.”

Although he does not detail what he said in the book, video from the night shows him saying, “Fifty years ago we’d have you upside down with a f–king fork up your ass” and calling one of the hecklers the n-word.

“Of course, looking back at all, I wish I had just agreed with him,” Richards writes of the audience member.

“He went low and I went even lower,” he writes. “We both ended up at the bottom of the barrel.”

The Emmy winner shares that, after the shocking incident the words “You’re not funny” kept running through his mind.

“He laid it out so clearly, so simply, my biggest fear — not being funny,” he writes. “Later, I’ll come to realize that all of this, everything he said, is me. His voice is my voice. This is all ME going on. My inferiority sets in. My anger erupts.”

After footage of the incident began to circulate three days later, the comedian appeared on the “Late Show with David Letterman” to apologize.

Richards writes that his “Seinfeld” cast mates Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander and Julia Louis-Dreyfus all reach out but he was “embarrassed” and “concerned about the mess spilling onto them.”

He declined any interviews at the time and, on the advice of actress Frances Fisher, retreated to Mexico for several weeks of soul-searching. Richards and his girlfriend also visited Cambodia, India and Thailand, seemingly on a spiritual quest.

The actor confesses that he has “some regrets” but believes in the “continuity of the Soul, writing that “screwups in life are necessary …

Richards made a rare red-carpet appearance with his old cast mate Jerry Seinfeld at the premiere of the latter’s movie “Unfrosted.”

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LOL 101: A Kid's Guide to Writing Jokes Hardcover – May 2, 2023

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• Print length 148 pages
• Language English
• Grade level 2 - 5
• Lexile measure 640L
• Dimensions 6.35 x 0.57 x 8.3 inches
• Publisher Chronicle Books
• Publication date May 2, 2023
• ISBN-10 179721392X
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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Chronicle Books (May 2, 2023)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 148 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 179721392X
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1797213927
• Reading age ‏ : ‎ 6 - 9 years, from customers
• Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 640L
• Grade level ‏ : ‎ 2 - 5
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.2 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.35 x 0.57 x 8.3 inches
• #73 in Children's Composition & Creative Writing Books
• #84 in Children's Joke & Riddle Books (Books)
• #184 in Children's Performing Arts Books (Books)

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David Roth is the author of LOL 101: A Kid's Guide to Writing Jokes, which won a Good Housekeeping 2023 Kid's Book Award and was featured on The Today Show with Hoda & Jenna. He's a stand-up comedian and acclaimed advertising creative director who's written two Super Bowl commercials. His 2022 music video, "Interracial Couple in a Cheerios Ad" won 15 film festivals globally. In 2024, David will star in the film he wrote, "The Fun in Funny," directed by Christine Lakin and produced by Fujifilm.

Rinee Shah is the author/illustrator of LOL 101: A Kid's Guide to Writing Jokes, illustrator of OFF: The Day the Internet Died, and author/illustrator of The Made-Up Words Project. Her award-winning illustration has been seen in the NYTimes, Buzzfeed News and O magazine. She is also an advertising creative director with experience creating compelling branded web series and short comedy films.

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Observe Memorial Day with these events in southern Maine

Tons of towns have parades and ceremonies happening Monday.

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Kids and adults gather at a Memorial Day parade to honor and celebrate veterans in South Portland. Sofia Aldinio/ Staff Photographer

BATH 10 a.m. Monday. Parade begins at 200 Congress Ave. and concludes at Library Park and will be followed by a wreath-laying service at 11 a.m.

BERWICK 11 a.m. Monday. Parade begins at Berwick Town Hall/Sullivan Square and proceeds to Lord’s Cemetery by way of Wilson and Allen streets. After a ceremony there, the parade will continue down Saw Mill Hill Street with a pause at the Somersworth-Berwick Bridge for a brief memorial service for those lost at sea. The parade ends at Sullivan Square with a memorial service honoring area veterans.

BIDDEFORD-SACO Opening ceremony at 9:55 a.m. Monday at Saco City Hall. Parade starts at 10 a.m. from Saco City Hall and proceeds along Main Street and down York Hill into Biddeford, continues along Main Street, onto Alfred Street and finishes at Veteran’s Memorial Park with a closing ceremony at 10:45 a.m.

BRUNSWICK-TOPSHAM 9 a.m. Monday. Parade proceeds from Topsham Town Hall, pauses for observances while crossing the Brunswick-Topsham bridge, and concludes at the Brunswick Mall.

CAPE ELIZABETH 9 a.m. Monday. Parade begins at the middle school parking lot, turns right on Scott Dyer Road, right onto Route 77 and ends at the village green adjacent to the town hall. A brief ceremony and laying of the wreath will be held at the Village Green after the parade.

CUMBERLAND 8 a.m. Monday. Kids run at Greely High School followed by 5K Run and Remember race at 8:30 a.m. Parade starts at 10 a.m. at Mabel I. Wilson School and ends at the veterans’ monument in Moss Side Cemetery in Cumberland Center, where a ceremony will be held at 10:30 a.m. Advertisement

FALMOUTH 10 a.m. Monday. Parade proceeds from 65 Depot Road (Falmouth American Legion) to Pine Grove Park, where a ceremony will be held.

FREEPORT 9:30 a.m. Monday. Parade proceeds from Holbrook Street, heads north on Main and makes a right onto School Street, then right onto Park Street, ending in Memorial Park. There will be a small ceremony in Memorial Park starting at 10 a.m.

GORHAM 11 a.m. Monday. Parade starts at Village School (12 Robie St.) and ends at Eastern Cemetery on Johnson Road.

GRAY 11:30 a.m. Monday. Parade leaves the Russell School (8 Gray Park), proceeds to Shaker Road and continues to the Soldiers Monument at the intersection of Routes 26 and 3 for a wreath-laying ceremony. Parade continues north to the American Legion Post (15 Lewiston Road) for a closing ceremony.

LYMAN 1 p.m. Monday. Parade starts at Waterhouse Road/Mill Pond in Goodwins Mills and ends at the Lyman Town Hall on South Waterboro Road.

NEW GLOUCESTER 9 a.m. Monday. Parade leaves from Memorial Elementary School (86 Intervale Road) and heads down Intervale Road to Route 100/202 to Veterans Park for a memorial service. The parade will reconvene and go down Peacock Hill Road, then take a left on Gilmore Road. Advertisement

OLD ORCHARD BEACH 1 p.m. Monday. Parade starts at the corner of Ballpark Way and E. Emerson Cumming Boulevard and proceeds down Saco Avenue, Old Orchard Beach Street to First Street and ends at Veteran’s Memorial Park.

PORTLAND 2 p.m. Monday. The procession starts at Longfellow School (432 Stevens Ave.) and ends at Evergreen Cemetery for a commemoration ceremony.

SANFORD 10 a.m. Monday. The parade starts at the Sanford Armory (88 William Oscar Emery Drive), proceeds up Gowen Park Drive and ends at Central Park.

SCARBOROUGH 10 a.m. Monday. Parade starts at Scarborough High School, turns onto Route 114 and then Route 1, past town offices to the Maine Veterans Home and concludes with a ceremony there.

SOUTH PORTLAND 10:30 a.m. Monday. Parade starts at Southern Maine Community College parking lot, proceeds down Broadway to the Veterans Monument for a short Memorial Day recognition service.

WELLS 9 a.m. Monday. Parade starts at Wells High School (200 Sanford Road) and proceeds to Ocean View Cemetery for a ceremony and musical performances. Advertisement

WESTBROOK 10 a.m. Monday. Parade proceeds down Main Street and will be followed by a ceremony in Riverbank Park.

WINDHAM 9 a.m. Monday. Parade starts at Windham Town Hall and proceeds onto Route 202 toward Windham High School. At 10 a.m., there will be a ceremony in front of Windham’s Veterans Memorial Flagpole at Windham High School.

YARMOUTH 10 a.m. Monday. Parade leaves from Yarmouth High School (286 West Elm St.) and proceeds to the Memorial Green at Town Hall for a ceremony.

YORK 10 a.m. Monday. Parade starts near St. Christopher’s Church (4 Barrell Lane) and proceeds down York Street to York Town Hall.

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Report says former Maine Turnpike executive threatened and intimidated employees for years

Opinion: we can do way better than the gorham connector, the wrap: farmers to return to monument square; hobbit-core restaurant planned for brunswick, complaint may halt changes to casco bay ferry ticket prices, skeletal remains found on gorham property, daily headlines.

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