It’s no good jeering at me and saying this post is rubbish. I am immune. I am deaf to your complaints and even better, I have learned how to deal with hecklers. You can say what you will, I’m determined to continue and explain why I’ve written it.
I understand your reluctance, after all, you probably write Science Fiction or Romance or YA and can’t see how doing stand-up comedy can help. Rest assured it can.
In a nutshell, stand-up comedy is brilliant for the brain, your self-confidence, and for boosting your presence. People love comedy even if you’re not very good at delivering it.
You do not need to go on a course to do stand-up. There are plenty of self-help books on this subject and indeed comedians who are willing to do online mentoring for merely a mention on your blog. They are artists like us and willing to assist others. If you want to sign up for a course and learn to do it with others, there are plenty available.
I write a lot about older people taking on new challenges, so doing a stand-up routine seemed an appropriate one for me. I am considered a humorous writer and can be funny on paper but when it comes to being quick-witted in person, that’s another matter. I mumble and burble when people ask me about my books and selling opportunities are lost as a consequence.
Learning to do stand-up is eye-opening. There is not enough time here to write all about it but I can divulge that by the time I had prepared a five minute routine that I was satisfied with, I had actually written over 50,000 words, most of which had been dumped in an effort to have the best possible material. You may consider this a waste of writing. It is not. That five minutes, when taken on stage is worth every minute of sweat and toil. It can also be used time and time again.
The jokes, although important, are not in themselves enough. You also need to learn to appear relaxed and confident, (even if inside you are a quaking jelly) think on your feet and maybe even involve the audience without letting them steal focus from you. The only way to gain these skills is to get up on stage and do a gig, or gigs. It may seem daunting, however, an audience will be gentle with a first-timer. You can easily learn the techniques to gain their sympathy. Trust me on that.
If you can manage a comedy slot you’ll find interviews on radio, doing talks, and any other public engagement a breeze. Your self-confidence will get a huge boost. You may even decide to do talks or more events like it.
In the past, I have done events at libraries and book clubs, talking about writing and the like. The audiences have generally been small (to virtually non-existent) and I have often come away feeling disheartened. In March this year, I was invited to talk at a local library. Instead of calling it an author event, we called it a comedy talk. I was able to talk about my writing and myself under the umbrella of comedy and how humour is necessary in our lives. I threw in my comedy routine. The event was a sell-out. The audience laughed a lot. Well, I think they did. I couldn’t hear them over the thumping of my heart. The results were surprising. I sold more books after that event than any other previous events. I can only assume it was because people were in a lighter-hearted mood having laughed a lot.
Should you really not be able to face an audience of strangers, then write a short routine and try it out on friends or family. They’ll be kinder to you. The process of writing jokes will exercise your brain and give it the chance to write something very different. Standing in front of people and delivering your jokes will make you more confident.
If you decide to bite the bullet, it’ll be worth it. Following my event, I was booked for a further six engagements. So, why not dip your toe into the waters? You could always just start your talks with a few jokes about writers or writing to see how it goes.
(Written with apologies to Laurie Boris who is far better qualified to talk about this subject.)
Pshaw, Carol, you did it proud. That you’ve got more engagements out of it is wonderful! 😀
But I still bow to you, queen of stand up,
Good on ya, Carol!! I’m a huge stand up fan and it’s probably my biggest secret fantasy to do 5 minutes on amateur night at the local club. I’ve written lots of satire, but never taken the plunge. You’re now my hero. I want to be like you when I grow up. Well, maybe not the skirt. On the other hand…
I think you’d look fabulous in a skirt, John. 😀
Hear, hear! Even better in a skirt, John. 🙂
Great post, Carol. I love stand up, but only when it’s someone else doing the standing. Best of luck in your new career 🙂
Thanks, Daphne. I’m amazed at how quickly it’s taken off. If only they knew I’m really shy and retiring… 😉
What a terrific idea! Congrats on getting the extra bookings and all the book sales. You’ve inspired me, and I’m definitely going to try this.
Excellent news! I hope you find it as much fun as I did. Good luck!
Great idea, Carol. You’re bound to sell more books if you’re there to entertain people, not just to sell books. 😀 I need to think about this….
Thanks, Lynne. I wonder if I’d sell more books if I tried out Burlesque as a form of entertainment. I should test the theory then I could give you other choice. In the meantime, don a squirty flower, a red nose and have a go at making people laugh.
I can recommend the London open mike circuit to teach anyone how to handle criticism. 😉 It’s a terrific education in how comedy works and very humbling, well done for giving it a go, and being so successful. Next stop Comedy Store? Great post Carol.
Now that takes real guts, Carolyn. I bow to you. I’m building up little by little. Next stop Birmingham comedy club, then maybe London if I make it out of Brum alive.
I’ve taken your advice, Carol. First gig tomorrow…
Will, knowing you, your sense of humour and your writing, you will have them eating out of the palm of your hand and cheering for more.good luck. Wish I were among the audience.
Good one.
My only experience of this was as an open mike. Everybody was reading poetry and artsy stuff, but I decided to read some humor columns. I guess it caught them off guard because they just sort of sat there. And I realized that it’s a whole different thing. Poetry–those closed eyes might mean they’re asleep, or might mean their concentrating on your visual imagery. But if you’re trying to make people laugh and they aren’t laughing, then you are failing, and right out there in the open. You can’t die reading sonnets, but sure as hell can reading humor.
One thing I realized was that humor is one of the few writing genres aimed at a physiological response. (Tear-jerkers and porn would be two others.) And if it doesn’t trip the trigger, there’s not faking it, even to yourself.