If you talk about it three times offstage, bring it to the stage

The topics you can't let go in normal life can be perfect soil for new bits.

Years ago, I remember hearing a Chris Rock quote that went something like this: “If there’s something you wind up talking about offstage three different times then you should try talking about it onstage.”

My interpretation of that:

If there’s something that you keep discussing in your regular life, it’s worth exploring in your standup because clearly it’s something you genuinely care about. And if you can figure out a way to make it funny, it just might be a killer bit since it’s reflecting what truly resonates with you. You’ll be in tune with the material in a way the audience can sense.

Related: Notice What Repeats.

A good place to start is to notice what repeats. Which of your ideas keep coming up and won’t leave you alone? Sift through your psyche for the ideas that are core to who you are. Those are the ones that will survive the predation of opposition and skepticism and competition. Just as in the animal kingdom, your fittest ideas are the ones that survive. Your core ideas will reveal themselves over and over again — persisting. You won’t be able to avoid them…

Look through your notes, listen to what people say about you, observe what your mind automatically defaults to when daydreaming, or find patterns in what you enjoy talking about. Like the motifs of a fairytale, your recurring ideas are hints that reveal the fabric of how you think and who you are. The ideas that repeat color your view of the world.

If an idea keeps appearing to you, let it be a sign of the world reflecting your identity back at you. If you find a pattern in your insights, that's a strong signal of what you need to write about.