Life as a live comedian involves a lot of tough choices.

It's often tempting to assume that those who've decided to make a career in the comedy industry probably aren't the most decisive people in the world, hence them not doing something more serious, like law, or medicine, or politics. Well, apart from the ones who came to comedy from law and politics and medicine, of course. But then they chose one career path originally then completely changed tack and went with something completely different, so the theory still applies.

In truth, a career in stand-up in particular is awash with tricky decision-making, both onstage and off. And those decision are invariably solo affairs. From working out which bits to cut from an hour-long show and the frequent split-second onstage decisions about what to talk about next, to deciding when to chuck in your proper job and go full-time, it's all taxing stuff.

There's no online tool to help with those big gambles. Nowadays that's how we make most of our big decisions, when you think about it. Rather than taking a chance on some random utility company we'll compare rates on one of the various price-comparison services. Those who like a web-based flutter compare the best casino in 2019 first. Even the big online shops often post reviews of the items you're thinking of buying, and a bunch of alternative options, so you're not taking quite so big a risk.

But comedy stuff? You're on your own - apart from getting advice from other comics, although that's not available when you're up on stage and deciding what on earth to say next. Being decisive under that sort of pressure must be quite an acquired skill, although choosing to get up there to try to perform is a big ask in the first place. It's very easy to back out, and tempting to just run offstage when a gig isn't going well. Those are the decisions that can make or break you, early doors.

Picking the right time to launch your first Edinburgh show is another test that needs careful planning. It's tempting to head up there far too early when you've got anything resembling an hour of material, because it seems like the place to be, but a savvy act will wait until it's a proper show, full of solid and cohesive stuff that creates a satisfying whole. You've only got one shot at doing your debut show, after all: you don't want people talking about it for the wrong reasons.

Speaking of which, one area where an act really does need to grasp the nettle is dealing with hecklers. Responding to an offstage shouter is not a time to be timid, as you need to let him (it's usually a him) know who's boss, and send a big signal to the rest of the crowd about how this hierarchy is working, too, in case they have any ideas about piping up. He or she who hesitates is lost, when it comes to nipping unwanted banter in the bud. Shut it down.

That's the great thing about stand-up. Even if the rest of your life is a big indecisive mess, and your social interactions are
perennially awkward, there is one absolute certainty: when someone hands you a microphone, it's definitely your turn to talk.