Reading Response 1

Chapter one of Comedy Writing Secrets was not at all what I was expecting. Not only did it teach me how to write funny, but it also gave me tips on how to act funny, and be funny. It gave me all the tools I needed to become a decent “funny writer.” From the “Map to being a successful humorist, to the very basics of “The Benefits of Humor Writing,” and finally to the core problem, “But I Ain’t Funny,” the reading describes, in detail how to hone one’s ability to be funny.
I really found the exercise used in the first section about imagination interesting. I always thought that humor that humor contained a large amount of imagination, but I also believed that the imagination that comedians exhibited was inherent. I never thought of exercises that could help with the imagination needed to be funny, but I guess these comedians use them all the time.
I also found the section, “The Map to Being a Successful Humorist” interesting. This section got down to the “nitty-gritty” of being funny. I found the three most important things to being funny, in order, quite puzzling. I would have never thought that the audience would be the most important aspect. I just assumed that the material was the most important. However, the book put this in a new perspective for me. I had never thought about the audience because I am used to seeing Comedy Central greats like Dane Cook and Dimitri Martin sitting in front of thousands of fans doing the same type of humor. But I guess the people that like their types of humor go to their shows. I never thought of beginning comedians in bars and gigs that weren’t in front of hundreds of fans. These “newcomers” have to make their own fans. And I surely would have thought material came before the performer. However, according to the book, the persona that the comedian embodies is the second most important thing to being funny. The look of the performer is a very important characteristic to the audience.
Finally, I found the amount of time that young and old comedians alike spend gathering and processing new material awing. I had also imagined that they spent a few hours a day trying to gather new material, but I never thought that it was a full-time job. I found the facts presented in this section really interesting too. How much time would it have taken to make 6 million jokes on index cards as Milton Berle and Bob Hope did.
I found, throughout the chapter, that the psyche and imagination of great comedians is something to respect and admire. The time and effort put into their job is something that, although most people may not think of as intensive, is more time-consuming and taxing than most people’s every day jobs.

Question: Are there other exercises, like the one mentioned on page 8 of Comedy Writing Secretes, that help people hone their imagination and help them become funnier?