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…
subjects
Writing
Setups, punchlines and the choices that give a comic idea its turn.
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.