Quote: Benp @ May 1 2012, 8:58 PM BSTwhen writing story based gags has anyone got any tips for this because I find it easy enough to write the beginning and get the punchline at the end but its just in between the set up and punchline, do you just keep it mildly amusing or just make sure you don't waffle for to long or should I just tweak it to my own preference any advice/tips would be great? also on one or two of my gags people have worked out the punchline half way threw any tips on throwing them off the scent or just edit it alot or take out keywords? sorry for all the questions
. thanks for any advice ,Ben.
My advice is this:
Draw up a list of your main jokes in your set and rank them, you know,
Puns , Laughs , Great punchine.
Now you want to build the great ones up as much as possible, so go round the houses and then just as they're beginning to get bored hit them with the big gun.
With the gags, just fire them out like a machine-pun
You wanna build you act up like this:
A few gags or easy laughs to get them onside, Wack in a long one with a great punchline. Bang, a couple of laughs, a few gags, Another really good one.
Work like that, theres only so many great ones you can come up with.
Even that lanky streak Tim Vine (who I might add had the good sense to reject my material) , has a few crackers and the trick is to space them out.
Put a really great one in just after a few gags (at the very start you have to get them onside. When your established, a simple hello will do they're already onside) put a great one at the end, a great one in the middle and work it all in
Goodluck
With the stories, try to put the odd red herring in if you can, try to make out your going one way then quickly hit them with it at the end.
Whatever you do DON'T STRETCH A BAD JOKE. I say this for obvious reasons:
The audience are holding out for a big punchline cos your taking your time, you get to that punchline and its shite, you've lost them.
Better to only ramble when you know the stuff works.
Try to see if theres another way, a vaguer way of saying something that they will still get, say you got this:
I went on a blind date last night. - you know whats coming, shes blind.
ok, so waffle it a bit, like so:
You know, get a bit lonely, not had a girlfriend, went on one of those blind dates. Then they think your going for an easy gag, like. Her guide dog was cute but she was a right munter.
You could say, I'd love to say it was love at first sight. (ouch) but it wasn't. Ah well at least 
I saw it coming.
And what I do is, theres two jokes there, think on your feet and swap the elements depending, change the material about a bit stops it getting you down after the 20th time you've told it!
I shouldn't give em away but: I went on one of them blind dates, they say that losing one sense improves the others ... I've heard of passion fruit.. But that was something else
I hope this helps Ben
