Help! Motivation needed. I do not have one funny thought in my head. Writers block galore. Any tips for getting past the wall? The hard cold wall.
I need motivation gosh darn it.
Read. Watch crap TV. Observe people out and about.
Ask questions and keep asking till you hit a funny answer.
And don't get stuck in unproductive ideas.
Here's a few tricks for ya -
1. Watch some comedy, preferably bad comedy. Whenever I see something absolutely awful, I become so incensed that I have no choice but to write something.
2. Look around the room and choose an object at random - an alarm clock, a bottle of water, a mobile phone etc and force yourself to write a little story about the object.
3. Go out and interact with the world, every time I go to the supermarket I see about a dozen characters who could all feature in their own sitcom.
4. Think of a well known expression like 'a stitch in time saves nine' or 'many a mickle makes a muckle' or even 'what time is dinner?' and put that as the end line of your story. Then write a story building up to that phrase.
The above may not get you the story / gag / sketch you desire, but you will be writing and that's how magical baby dreams are born or summat.
Booze and drugs. 
Quote: Renegade Carpark @ January 12 2010, 12:52 PM GMTHere's a few tricks for ya -
1. Watch some comedy, preferably bad comedy. Whenever I see something absolutely awful, I become so incensed that I have no choice but to write something.
I always find watching something really good, rather than bad, inspires me. If I ever want a kick I'll watch some Big Train, or Arrested Development, or something like that, and the ideas start flooding out. Of course, they're all ideas stolen from Big Train and Arrested Development, but I make sure I change the character names, or locations. Most of the time.
I don't think watching bad stuff would really inspire me.
Quote: Dolly Dagger @ January 12 2010, 12:57 PM GMTBooze and drugs.
Dolly is winning imo
Quote: Renegade Carpark @ January 12 2010, 12:52 PM GMT2. Look around the room and choose an object at random - an alarm clock, a bottle of water, a mobile phone etc and force yourself to write a little story about the object.
Absolutely the cutest thing you ever wrote!
I also find making lists helps as does rewriting famous sketches. It helps see how they worked.
And walking is a good one. Anything that distracts you and relaxes the brain.
Drinking etc though is no help.
Give up. Working well for me.
There's an amazing book called 'Writers Block' which has loads of exercises in it. Buzz words, tips from established writers, etc
If nothing else it's a really fun read.
I watch comedy I like to inspire me (Seinfeld, baby!!). I also, heard that Jimmy Carr watches Laurel and Hardy and modernises and changes the jokes until he's got something new.
It's interesting the idea of watching comedy other people has created keeps cropping up. I wonder though if it doesn't make someone's work derivative...?
I keep thinking that if comedy is born out of life's incidents but if we mainly get inspiration from other people's work we're getting it second hand and the result would be diluted...?
Quote: Dolly Dagger @ January 12 2010, 1:49 PM GMTIt's interesting the idea of watching comedy other people has created keeps cropping up. I wonder though if it doesn't make someone's work derivative...?
I keep thinking that if comedy is born out of life's incidents but if we mainly get inspiration from other people's work we're getting it second hand and the result would be diluted...?
I watch stuff I like more for the mechanics, if that makes any sense. I love the way a Seinfeld ep will blend the characters stories together. Where, for example, 2 of the characters objectives for that episode are at odds with the other 2 characters.
Quote: Dolly Dagger @ January 12 2010, 1:49 PM GMTIt's interesting the idea of watching comedy other people has created keeps cropping up. I wonder though if it doesn't make someone's work derivative...?
I keep thinking that if comedy is born out of life's incidents but if we mainly get inspiration from other people's work we're getting it second hand and the result would be diluted...?
That is certainly true, but when you watch a lot of comedy both good and bad, it teaches you structure, pacing, characterisation, etc. which can only help.
Doing a lot of research can also be inspiring, what I learned from watching Blackadder is that a lot of the comedy came from the historical situations, which meant that the writers went off and did a lot of research on that particular time period.
Truth is often funnier then fiction, so check the libraries, You Tube and Wikipedias for lots of humour filled facts on whichever topic you're going to tackle - I don't think I could have written that in a more twee / condiscending way if I tried.
Quote: Dolly Dagger @ January 12 2010, 1:49 PM GMTI wonder though if it doesn't make someone's work derivative...?
All work is derivitive to a degree though, you're never going to write something that isn't influenced by and have shades of something.
Quote: greensville @ January 12 2010, 1:55 PM GMTI watch stuff I like more for the mechanics, if that makes any sense.
Yeah, shows like Seinfeld and Arrested Development are great for thinking about that side of thing. They've certainly influenced the way I think about structure.
Quote: Griff @ January 12 2010, 1:57 PM GMTYeah, you should write primarily from life, that's true.
Ach, far too boring! Watch and steal from others instead! 
Quote: Matthew Stott @ January 12 2010, 2:00 PM GMTAll work is derivitive to a degree though, you're never going to write something that isn't influenced by and have shades of something.
True, but I think it works better or at least seems fresher when the influence is non-comedy.
Quote: Renegade Carpark @ January 12 2010, 1:57 PM GMTTruth is often funnier then fiction, so check the libraries, You Tube and Wikipedias for lots of humour filled facts on whichever topic you're going to tackle - I don't think I could have written that in a more twee / condiscending way if I tried.
