ChatGPT: Your comedy writing companion
Just don't ask it to write any jokes
I love ChatGPT, I even pay for premium! Like any tool, you have to give it specific instructions in order to get it to do what you want. It’s replaced Google for most of my inane questions.
Unfortunately ChatGPT won’t write jokes for you, unless you’re particularly fond of wordplay and Christmas-cracker jokes. But all its unashamed corniness it might inspire you to go down an avenue you wouldn’t have thought of.
Here are some ways I use it to improve my writing. All of my examples below are real-world examples from my ChatGPT history.
1. Finding a better word
My head is a bit foggy sometimes, and I have trouble articulating the correct word for something. ChatGTP can help you find the word you are looking for, or maybe 5 better ones!
2. Help make grammar good
This only matters for written work, as your spoken stand-up should sound like how you talk. I suck at grammar. I never studied English, so everything I know I remember from school in the 90s, okay screw you - 80s. I don’t need my grammar to be academic level, but I don’t want to look like a complete idiot either.
3. Researching a subject
Specificity really helps your comedy. ChatGPT is awesome at coming up with specific nouns. I probably use it the most for this, as sometimes you just can’t thing of a specific enough brunch cocktail.
Why say Malaria when Dengue Fever is far more specific?
4. Writing in a specific style
You can’t beat ChatGPT for stylistic and genre writing. What an absolute pain it would be for me to have to write dialogue between British soldiers in the 50s, while getting all of the place name and people correct. It takes ChatGPT about 5 seconds.
This might be my favourite ever result from ChatGPT. I was simply trying to amuse my brother, who buys his bleach at Marks & Spencer (a very posh British supermarket). A few years ago they had a very specific style of advert.
You silly language model!
5. Using inclusive language
I consider myself pretty damn woke. But as the world is changing so fast, it’s best to try and change with it. You can choose to be an out of touch dinosaur, but you need to show some awareness of the world around your or people are going to get in their heads “If I’m thinking I’m not laughing”. You can ask ChatGPT as many awkward boomer questions as you like and it never judges you!
6. Writing dad jokes
ChatGPT has no ability to be creative or funny outside of wordplay and puns. But sometimes that’s just what you need.
Kaledashian isn’t bad.
7. Inspiring your joke when you tell it exactly what the funny part is
ChatGPT has no ability to be funny. In fact, it's so unfunny that it goes from being funny to being unfunny again. However it might inspire an idea or avenue you might not have thought of.
I mean… where did the chololate thing come from? Any what about the cats… I have so many notes. I gave you the headline and everything. Despite this butchered attempt at a joke, I really like that they are now dealing in “overly attached patients” and ended up using that in this joke. And the cat therapy part, obviously.
I have used it a few times and have come to the exact same conclusions. So, I use it as a prompt or idea generator, but then I have to massage the message or embellish the joke in my own voice. Has your opinion changed in the past couple of years? Also, is there a general Yay or Nay feeling around the industry about using it? Thanks, Jeff