Writing
A Setup Is a Promise the Joke Plans to Break
A setup guides an audience towards one meaning before the punchline redirects it, helping writers make surprise feel…
All the pieces
All pieces
Read about the choices behind comic writing and performance: the setup, the character, the timing and the audience assumptions that can make a joke land—or expose its limits.
Characters
The Know-It-All and the Innocent: Two Comic Character Engines
Know-it-all and innocent comic characters create friction in opposite ways; learn how certainty and missed meaning…
Timing
Why a Pause Can Make a Punchline Smaller
Why a pause can make a punchline smaller: learn when to mark silence, when to leave it open and how to give performers…
Performance
The Myth That Louder Delivery Means a Bigger Laugh
Louder delivery does not automatically make a joke funnier. Learn how clarity, contrast and intention give comic lines…
Audience
A Comedy Night at Home: Build the Order Around Contrast
A comedy night at home feels more varied when formats and pace take turns. Choose an order that suits your guests…
Our point of view
A laugh deserves a closer look
We examine what a comic choice asks of its audience, and what it gives back. No formula guarantees a laugh; the details are where the interest lies.