Specificity, the key to originality
Specificity, the key to originality
But be economic with words. Ali Wong's mom didn't come to this country to hear meandering jokes.
Without specificity, you’ll have a hard time writing original material. Details add to the surprise of a joke, they also make it more visual. There’s something about painting a very clear picture in the audience's mind that is very visceral, and makes people really laugh.
Bathroom stalls without purse hooks are fucking primitive. My mom didn't come to this country so I could shit with my backpack on
Ali Wong
Although jokes hang in a fine balance of word economy. Specificity is fantastic, but each added detail must serve the afterthought (the surprise), and not cause interference. After all:
(Believability + Surprise) - Interference = Laughter
Too much specificity
Smelly bathroom stalls without purse hooks are fucking primitive. My mom, Tan Wong didn't come to the USA so I could shit with my Samsonite backpack on.
Let’s break this down. “Smelly” could be a good added detail, but now I’m thinking “eww, who shit - is there a shit on the ground? Did Ali shit?” the smell isn’t part of the joke, it’s not a joke about smells so we can edit it out.
I’d usually say you should name people and places in your stories, here’s an example where it just breaks the flow of the joke. As we’re not talking to Tan, it’s not about Tan, and you don’t usually speak to your mom by their first name unless you’re very distanced from them - mom is best here.
“Didn’t come to the USA” is not as common a phrase as “didn’t come to this country” plus “didn’t come to this country” just has a nicer rhythm, it’s the right choice here.
Again, naming brands can be a funny specific thing to do. If you’re trying to paint a picture of someone a certain way. If you’re trying to describe a rich wanker, it can be funnier to say “Ralph Lauren polo shirt” than just “polo shirt”. But this joke is very much about Ali. The brain picture we want to create is about her struggling to shit with a backpack on. Anything outside of this image is interference.
Bare in mind that increased specificity does not necessarily mean more words, it can mean more emotion.
Decreased specificity
Decreased specificity also causes interference. It’s possibly a greater crime as less specificity usually means less originality as well.
Bathrooms without purse hooks are lame. It’s awkward to poop wearing a backpack.
Bathrooms come in all shapes and sizes. It could be one at home with a bath next to it, to a British person it definitely would be. Bathroom stall is the exact right level of specificity, rather than my brain spinning into space trying to paint the right kind of bathroom - with one word we can picture a cramped single toilet cubicle that’s not at home, and that’s all the information we need for this joke.
“Lame” is such a… lame word. It’s filler, it hides specificity. Filler words like stuff, things, y’know, nice, good, bad, lame - anything your grade 8 teacher would mark you down for have no place in stand-up, every time you use them - be specific instead. They rob your writing of originality, attitude and character. The only time you would use them is if you’re characterising someone that lacks charisma. Instead of “lame” Ali says “fucking primitive”, this fits in perfectly with her persona of being someone who is smart and bold. It also serves the joke. Having no purse hook is lame, but it’s also primitive - and Ali’s mother came to this country for the promise of a higher standard of living - not shitting in a bathroom stall with your backpack on! A bathroom hook in the stall is really the least this country could provide! The image of someone (especially someone as glamorous and furious) as Ali Wong, crouched over a public bathroom in a cramped stall wearing a backpack, doing a shit is such a funny mental image.
When you’re being unspecific, you’re often being inauthentic
When we’re unspecific, it’s often our editor at work saying “Nobody would care about that detail” or “that’s a little too personal”. Whenever you feel yourself pull away like that, steer straight into the skid! As good comedy is surprising, there’s nothing more surprising than somebody surprising themselves. I say “often” being inauthentic, because some peoples authentic selves are vague, there are stoner types and other low-energy performers. But even though they use filler words such as “stuff”, “things”, “like” - they will always be specific. It’s not the audience's job to try and figure out what you mean, you need to tell, even better show them exactly what you mean, so they can feel, see, smell and taste your words.
Here is an exercise that focuses on specificity.
