Every Joke Writer Should Try This
New Site with Joke-Writing Exercises
As a comedian, I feel like I spend most of my waking hours thinking in jokes, looking for punchlines, and eagerly waiting to encounter the funny everywhere and in everything. What I don’t do: Sit around and try to conjure up the next great bit. As with being a writer of things besides jokes, however, I have to admit: some days, the ideas flow and other days it’s like my brain has filed for early retirement. And while there’s no one-size-fits-all method for generating material, one thing I’ve learned is sitting around waiting for inspiration to strike doesn’t work for me.
That’s much of the reason why I built a simple little offshoot site to help with one of the hardest parts of writing jokes: getting started. On this offshot site—check it out here—I’ve set up a few joke-writing exercises. It’s as straightforward as it gets. You click a button, get a random headline, and start writing. You can choose your time: 1 minute, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, or 15 minutes. The headline is your jumping-off point. The timer is your accountability buddy. The rest is up to you.
Now, you might be thinking, Random headlines? Timed writing? How is that supposed to help me write jokes? Let me tell you, there’s magic in the constraints and, while I have more ideas brewing, this is where I’m starting. And here are some reasons why I think it works.
It’s random. I’m not sitting there overthinking and trying to come up with the perfect topic or force an idea. I might get something absurd like “Town Hosts Annual Squirrel Rodeo” or something mundane like “Local Man Tries New Sandwich.” Either way, it’s my job to turn that into something funny. The randomness forces me to flex my creative muscles, finding humor where I didn’t even know or expected that it existed.
It’s timed. Nothing gets the gears turning like a ticking clock. Knowing I’ve got a minute or five or ten to come up with something lights a fire under me. There’s no room for overthinking or perfectionism—I just write. And sometimes, those off-the-cuff ideas turn out to be pretty good. Admittedly, many of them are terrible. But that’s all part of it.
It forces me to write. This one’s obvious but crucial. So many of us spend more time thinking about writing than actually writing. This exercise eliminates the excuses. I hit start, and I’m in. No distractions, no procrastination—just me and the headline.
It gets my creativity going. Often times, creativity is less like a light switch and more like a stubborn old lawn mower. I’ve got to pull the cord a few times before it roars to life. These exercises are the pulls. Even if my first few ideas feel clunky or forced, I’m warming up my brain, and that’s half the battle.
It’s low-stakes writing. This isn’t about crafting the perfect joke or writing my magnum opus. It’s about generating ideas. If the result is terrible? Who cares! Nobody’s grading me on this. The whole point is to loosen up and experiment.
It helps me think on your feet. Comedy, especially stand-up, is as much about quick thinking as it is about prepared material. These timed exercises train my brain to work faster, to make connections more quickly, and to trust my instincts.
It builds discipline. Writing comedy isn’t all inspiration and epiphanies—somtimes, it’s a grind. The more I practice showing up and putting in the work, even for something as simple as a random headline, the more I’ll build the habits that lead to great material.
It’s fun. Seriously, there’s something oddly satisfying about seeing what my brain can come up with under pressure. Sometimes I’ll surprise myself with how ridiculous—or ridiculously good—the ideas are.
I haven’t been using this method for very long, but I am wondering if it’ll be a game-changer for me. Some of my best jokes started as half-formed ideas during a timed write. And even the ones that didn’t make it to the stage were worth it because they kept the creative momentum going. And sometimes, it’s not about the jokes themselves but the connections the brain starts making. One random headline about “World’s Largest Pizza” can lead to a completely unrelated but killer joke about how I once got kicked out of a buffet—Looking at you, Golden Corral.
The randomness and time limit push me into uncharted territory. I stop relying on my go-to topics or joke structures and start exploring new angles, new rhythms, new ideas. It’s like cross-training for the comedy brain. I built this site because I believe in the power of practice. Writing jokes isn’t about waiting for lightning to strike—it’s about creating the conditions for it. And this little exercise? It’s simple. But it’s also effective. Whether you’re a seasoned comedian looking to shake things up, a newbie trying to find your voice, or just someone who loves the thrill of creativity, give it a go.
Head over to michaelhalcomb.wixstudio.com/jokes and have a look. The site’ll give you a random headline, give you a time frame and timer, and you’ll see what you can come up with. You might not write your next closer, but you’ll write something. And in view, that’s always a step in the right direction.
This is an excellent idea! Thanks for creating and sharing!