That's only because you wear so much clown makeup

Well I refuse to return the big red shoes!

after what you did with them, who'd want them

We swore that "the incident" would never be mentioned again!

Lovin' this witty banter from Lee and Sooty.

Two master craftsmen at work. More please!

Quote: Tony Cowards @ June 14 2011, 2:00 PM BST

Anything which gets you writing, no matter what it is, will help to "loosen" your mind and get the creativity flowing.

Write a blog, lists of films, a review of something you've seen, even a letter to someone, anything at all really, the act of writing will free up the creative part of your brain and you'll find lots of ideas starting to flow.

Another technique I use if I'm really stuck is open a page at random on Wikipedia and then have a read through and see if you can make any jokes from that subject.

The worst thing to do when it comes to writing is to stare at a blank page or empty screen.

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I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment above. If I get to a point that I'm looking at a blank page, I know it's time to have a break. I spread my "Imaginative" period throughout the day. That way if you have to write a set to a dead line, there's less pressure on the old grey matter.

I sometimes pick a subject and see if I can turn it on it's head. As an example, school is a good one as we've all been there. Remembering the teachers etc should give you plenty to twist into a joke or set. The beauty of this is that (for me) it zones you right in on the subject of writing something funny. I believe the audience needs to connect with you and the subject in hand. That's a sure fire way to guarantee that the laughs will follow.

I find one of the hardest things is convincing myself ideas will come.

Staring at that black sheet of paper can be so dispiriting.

But when the ideas come they can be a most pleasant surprise.

Quote: sootyj @ June 15 2011, 10:36 AM BST

black sheet of paper

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That's one way of getting past the white page problem.

Black as in despair.

Have you no sole Mr Bussell?

(obvious joke opportunity provided by "Sootyj Obvious mispelling and pun company by Royal appointment")

Quote: Odin @ June 15 2011, 9:48 AM BST

I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment above. If I get to a point that I'm looking at a blank page, I know it's time to have a break. I spread my "Imaginative" period throughout the day. That way if you have to write a set to a dead line, there's less pressure on the old grey matter.

I sometimes pick a subject and see if I can turn it on it's head. As an example, school is a good one as we've all been there. Remembering the teachers etc should give you plenty to twist into a joke or set. The beauty of this is that (for me) it zones you right in on the subject of writing something funny. I believe the audience needs to connect with you and the subject in hand. That's a sure fire way to guarantee that the laughs will follow.

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I'm not sure I agree with that particular technique. I totally get where you're coming from, don't get me wrong - it is vital that an audience feels a connection with you and oftentimes, a way to do that is by speaking about experiences they can relate to.
However, (and this is only my personal opinion) I find just deciding to talk about a certain subject in the hope of getting a positive reaction slightly crude. But don't take that the wrong way! I'm in no way commednting on however you choose to write. It's all about personal preference.

For example, the only way I can truly write is by writing what I find funny. If I don't find it funny, the audience won't find it funny. It'd be reflected in my voice, my delievery and my stage presence. I see comedy happen all around me every day - in many forms - and I write based on what comes into my head when thinking about a particular thing I've seen, thought, heard, etc. And then I re-write it in such a way that not only do I find it funny but hopefully other people do.

However, I've only been writing for about 2 years and am by no means an expert.

Some interesting ideas put forward. But let's not forget: professional writers, for the most part, just sit down and get on with it. And that's what amateurs need to aspire to.

In the great words of Charlie Brooker

...to teleport yourself into that productive trance-state as quickly as possible, thereby minimising procrastination and maximising output

I also read somewhere else that he wrote (cba to find it) that he will just lock himself in a room with no internet, no phones, no music, no newspapers etc and literally force himself with a pen and paper

Quote: Goose24 @ June 16 2011, 6:59 AM BST

In the great words of Charlie Brooker

I also read somewhere else that he wrote (cba to find it) that he will just lock himself in a room with no internet, no phones, no music, no newspapers etc and literally force himself with a pen and paper

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Was the room he was talking about the toilet?

Quote: Trip @ June 15 2011, 7:31 PM BST

I'm not sure I agree with that particular technique. I totally get where you're coming from, don't get me wrong - it is vital that an audience feels a connection with you and oftentimes, a way to do that is by speaking about experiences they can relate to.
However, (and this is only my personal opinion) I find just deciding to talk about a certain subject in the hope of getting a positive reaction slightly crude. But don't take that the wrong way! I'm in no way commednting on however you choose to write. It's all about personal preference.

For example, the only way I can truly write is by writing what I find funny. If I don't find it funny, the audience won't find it funny. It'd be reflected in my voice, my delievery and my stage presence. I see comedy happen all around me every day - in many forms - and I write based on what comes into my head when thinking about a particular thing I've seen, thought, heard, etc. And then I re-write it in such a way that not only do I find it funny but hopefully other people do.

However, I've only been writing for about 2 years and am by no means an expert.

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I take on board what you are saying Trip. My ramblings were echoing Tony Cowards post stating that anything that can get the creative juices flowing is a good thing. I was just expressing my technique in staving off writers block. The material generated this way isn't used as block text to be formatted as a possible set to gain a positive reaction from the crowd through one channel, it's more about picking and choosing snippets of it to manipulate into something that you find funny. Thus my juices are flowing, as it were.

Audience familiarity is only one dimension in the rich tapestry that is comedy.

Quote: David Bussell @ June 15 2011, 10:43 AM BST

sootyj
black sheet of paper

That's one way of getting past the white page problem.

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Artists sometimes have the same problem when faced with a white canvas, and painting it all black, or any other colour, can help overcome this(...and in addition it does other painterly things).

Of course, it is easy to just cut-and-paste a whole block of text and then start altering it...as Sooty often does here.