Hey Comedy Fam,

I just wrapped up a livestream with sketch writing guru Sam Brown, and I'm super jazzed to let you in on this comedy writing technique called “the game.”

This is actually something that came up in my Pete Lee interview but Sam dives even deeper and helps to add more context from a sketch writing perspective.

“The game" in sketch writing is essentially the premise. Often, jokes and sketches don't land because the game isn't clear. This applies to stand-up also.

If your joke isn't hitting, revisit the premise. Make it more clear or simplified for the audience to understand. Once you hone the game of your bit, the punchlines will flow.

Or if you are trying to find a funny angle into an idea, ask yourself what would be a funny game to connect with this idea. We discussed the example of an Abraham Lincoln sketch his group Whitest Kids U Know created.

At first, I thought the game was about a funny way for Abraham Lincoln to die but it actually all started with “the game” of a funny heckler situation that then escalated during their writing process.

Overall, comedy should be fun and this “game” approach to comedy writing makes the whole process much more playful.

Happy writing!

I was blown away by the parallels between sketch and stand-up. Both basically boil down to setting up an expectation and breaking it with a misdirect.

If you’d like to learn how to write misdirects, I create a 5-steps to Funny workshop to help!