How loose premises become “A” material
Isabel Hagen: "I record each set on my phone and listen back later. As I listen, I hear what worked and what didn’t, and if something didn’t work, I might hear an alternate way to do it in my head."
Isabel Hagen: “How I Develop New Material”
I record each set on my phone and listen back later. As I listen, I hear what worked and what didn’t, and if something didn’t work, I might hear an alternate way to do it in my head that would work better. I often watch other comedians perform and think, “that joke would be better if they said it like this.” By listening to my own set, I get to apply that same thought process to myself. As I listen, I take notes (“yes, that worked, keep saying it with the emphasis on that word… that premise was unclear, so that’s why the punch line didn’t land… ‘poop’ is funnier than ‘doodie,”… expand on this point with more funny examples, etc.”) Then I go try the same jokes again with those notes applied. Then I listen back again and the cycle repeats and jokes that were once loose and uncertain premises ever so gradually become “A” material.
One thing I love about developing stand-up material is trusting the process enough that I can think about a new joke that really hasn’t been getting laughs and can marvel at the mystery of what it will one day become. I think, “This joke sucks right now, but one day it’ll be my favorite joke and I can’t wait to find out how that joke will go.”
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