Why structure and plotting is killing the laughs
Keep it loose you goose!
This is a re-jig of an article I posted last year. Please enjoy!
I have added a list of how to make your set more spontaneous at the end of this article.
What do you mean by structure?
Structure is anything you say out loud in your set that isn’t in itself funny, but ties bits of material together. Everything you say in your set should either be funny, or be setting up something that is. Especially when you are doing shorter sets, you can’t afford to waste words.
Just focus on creating great jokes about your personal life and perspectives. Ignore this left-brain need to tie things together and create a clever little package. If you present a hilarious set people will say “I LOVE how you structured that!”. Writing about yourself is already a story, you don’t have to create fakey little sub-narratives and segues.
Here are some examples of structure:
On the way here I saw the craziest things!…
We all know you didn’t see shit on the way here Gary, we all saw your mom drop you off in her Renault Clio. This kind of thing is so contrived and the audience knows it. I’ve seen some comics be meta with it like “Well it wasn’t on the way here, it was actually 4 years ago” but I still feel like it’s a waste of time and words.
My mom has a lot in common with Berlin… She’s cheap, she’s an alcoholic and she shits on the pavement
When you set up a comparison like that, we kind of know you are going to say 3 things and the 3rd one is really daft. Even if you vary up the number to add a surprising one in there, it’s still a bit - mundane. Just talk to people like a normal person!
Who here likes hats!?
Please stop with the fake crowd-work that’s obviously just setting up your next bit. Please don’t ask the audience questions if you don’t care about the answer.
Left brain bad at comedy
I don’t know why people love structure in their comedy so much. By definition structure it is not funny.
Wow that meeting was so well structured, I couldn’t stop laughing!
Nobody ever
If a structure emerges in your set, then that is good. Like if you realise this bit is linked to that other bit and can find a subtle way to join them then that is usually good. What I am against is putting the structure first, and trying to hammer all these square pegs into it.
Old people falling over
We can all agree the funniest things in life are spontaneous personal moments between friends, and old people falling over. So why do people make their set extremely unsurprising by setting things up in obvious ways, or even worse using dated old joke structures likes rule of 3 etc.
I know people think that it’s clever to tie everything together and put a little bow on top, and yeah I guess some people are like “yay! you did it my guy”. But it’s not going to get you those deep HA HAs, more like a “well done”. Sometimes if structure is really good you get clapture. Clapture is when people are clapping at how clever you are, and they are not laughing. Clapture is bad.
Stop impersonating other stand-ups and start embracing the shit-show you are
These kinds of mistakes happen when people are trying to impersonate other stand-up comedians whether knowingly or not. All the stand-up you’ve ever seen is running around your brain. The things you saw in your childhood are the most vivid, so people in my classes end up impersonating 90s comedians (my class attracts a lot of people having a mid-life crisis). So I get a lot of “What’s the deal with…” and “I tell you what’s crazy” and “So who here likes hats?”.
This also happens when people put a “funny idea” before their own authentic truth. As in “I have this great idea for a joke, wouldn’t it be funny to compare Harry Potter characters to famous dictators”. It’s this instinct of “wouldn’t it make me look funny and clever to do a joke like this, that is about this thing”. You should only be using meaningful authentic situations to inspire your comedy.
Having said that I do love a joke that starts out with a really vapid idea, and ends with your whole life unravelling. Surprise!
Structure is killing your creativity
When you use rhythm and structure, you get to the end because you finished the rule of 3, or you ran out of Harry Potter characters. You ended the pattern and now your brain usually says that’s done. But good comedy is all about making ridiculous connections that people didn’t see coming. It’s about going far beyond where normal peoples brains would stop, normal comedians brains even.
To put it in scientific terms:
You are stopping the train before it reaches Funny Town
Stephen Hawking
And after Funny Town, there is Hilarious Hill, The Swamp Of Guffaws, LMAO Mountain etc.
How to make your set more spontaneous
Know the main funny parts of your script but boil it down to headlines.
Don’t remember it word for word. You don’t want to seem like joke robot 5000
I’M AVAILABLE FOR BIRTHDAY PARTIES AND BAR MITZVAH…. BLEEP BLOOP
Joke Robot 5000
Talk to your audience like you talk to your best friends
And notice when you're not. What's making you hide behind this fake persona? Maybe you're hiding from a really authentic moment. Maybe a better joke would be to comment on how you do a weird voice when you get shy. “Sorry I don’t know what that voice is, I do it whenever I feel really awkward. I call him Luke” (later in the set) “Not now Luke! This joke is going well!” (callback!)
Your set should be able to be told out of order
Have you ever heard the expression “Play the gig in front of you, not the one in your head” I think it’s from jazz, but it really applies here. You should be able to mould your set depending on the kind of room you’re in.
Personally I think this also applies to your one hour special. In my opinion the best specials are just a collection of the strongest bits that person has written that year. Yes yes yes yes some are literal narrative pieces. I only mean the specific thing I mean.
Don’t set up a false narratives
These wishy-washy fake stories that link all the bits in to a neat little package, meaning that they can’t be told out of order. EG “Life is like a fairground ride, you have your rollercoasters… these are the ups and downs” I mean that’s horrible anyway. Life doesn’t have structure, structure and plot are contrived and fake. Even Stephen King is against plot.
I distrust plot for two reasons: first, because our lives are largely plotless, even when you add in all our reasonable precautions and careful planning; and second, because I believe plotting and the spontaneity of real creation aren't compatible.
Stephen King
I’m not supposed to have any structure in my set?
You still need to be logical.
If you have a lot of dark stuff, probably best you make people feel safe before you start with that. Buy them dinner before you stick it in.
Put anything that is about you at the beginning of your set. If you’re gay and have a lot of gay jokes, it’s important the audience know that you are gay. If you are anxious, a bit of a psychopathic, a people pleaser. All of these “I” statements need to go fairly up top so people can experience your material in the way it was written. Putting the “I’s” up top means you can develop authentic callbacks.
Wait a minute, aren’t callbacks structure?
They are when they are forced, they aren’t when they are discovered. You can learn more about call-backs here.
Here’s an exercise that’ll help you get more in touch with your authentic self.
Show Plugs Berlin
Thursday 16.05.24 @ 8pm I’ll be performing a monoscene with Mum’s Gone To Iceland - at Truth Night - Link
At 9.30pm I’ll be performing an armando with Action Jackson - LinkFriday 17.05.24 @ 9.30pm I’ll be performing a road trip with Roadkill - Link
At 11pm I’ll be performing a never performed stand-up set at No Joke - LinkSaturday 18.05.24 @ 8pm I’ll be performing improv with LGBTQIA+CCB - Link
At 9.30pm I’ll be performing an improvised variety show with It’s That Time Of The Month - Link
Teaching Plugs Berlin
I do 1 on 1 classes and coaching sessions for stand-up comedians - Email
My Spring In-person Stand-up classes are sold out but join a waiting list here - Link
World Wide Web Plugs
Berlin Stand-Up School - berlinstandupschool.com
Linktree - carolineclifford.com
Ah perfect! I still have a couple of sets to go through but this will make a great article 🤝
Thanks for the article. Maybe I'm too left-brainy to understand "Your set should be able to be told out of order". To be able to tell jokes in any order, they all need to be like 1-2 sentence jokes, no? I think even after reading this post, I don't know how to not write long, structured, plotted jokes.