Free Comedy Starter Guide
Yes, you can learn to be funny
Get your free guide to kick start your comedy journey and develop your First Five Minutes.
And keep scrolling for our Write Now Right Now idea generator…
A free guide to stand-up comedy by Neil Thornton
You're not going to be ready. Nobody is. That's fine.
This guide is everything I'd tell you if you walked into my Getting Started class on a Saturday afternoon: the stuff I wish someone had told me before I spent three years making every possible mistake on stage.
Your First Five Minutes
What’s inside
How to find comedy material in your own life (you already have plenty).
The one rule that makes everything funnier.
A daily writing practice that kills your inner critic.
Joke structures you can use in the next ten minutes.
How to look like you belong on stage before you feel like it.
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Just genuinely useful stuff to help you get funnier, faster.
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write now right now - the idea generator
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FREEWRITING: Set a timer for 5-10 minutes. Pick a prompt and write without stopping. Don't edit, judge, or censor.
When you run out of steam,
switch prompts (or write the opposite. If you were writing about your superpowers, switch and write about your kryptonite.If you end up going way off topic, great! Keep writing wherever your brain goes.
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There are are no rules. Write what you want, just don’t stop writing.
Write how you want: full sentences, key words, longhand, on computer, or rant into a voice memo. I prefer ink pen in a cheap notebook, but that’s just me…
Open a blank page, click on the widget below and start writing. See what happens!
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Click “Generate” and use that prompt.
Listing
List as many examples as possible. Aim for at least 10 items. Don't worry if they're "good" - just list.
Exploring
Choose one of your items. Ask yourself: Why is this funny? Why is this hard? Why is this scary? Why is this stupid? Find specific examples and details.
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Kill your censors. More is better. Go for the specific, personal, and unique.
These a just jumping off points. Switching topics, misinterpreting prompts, and finding weird rabbit holes is more fun.
As long as your pen is moving and you’re capturing your thoughts, you’re winning! Now go!
Write now right now!
Get the full guide by signing up above, but if you really want to kick off this very moment…
The best thing you can do to find one funny idea is to generate a thousand (maybe terrible) ideas.
With that in mind, I made a writing widget for you to get going ASAP (instead of doing my own writing). Scroll down to generate some ideas!
