Good News – my son came home for a weekend visit. With him, arrived a plethora of new topics to blog about. Honestly, that plethora is limited to this one post. But, it’s a solid. I’ll take anything I can get, especially considering current post ideas highlighted Hot Air Balloons and oatmeal. (Pause) I do like to keep things balanced, though. And random. So, it’s all good.
Recently, he saw a stand-up comic perform. Since he turned 21, my son is frequenting his share of hot spots, enjoying the perks of this wondrous ‘age’. (insert: heavy parental sigh) Then, he showed me some highlights of other performers he has followed. I was intrigued. My interest was piqued when we realized the concepts in a stand-up comedy routine are applicable to almost every aspect of , well, Life. It’s all about delivery, timing, and content. Well, that’s what my son surmised. Coming from a 21 year old, that’s pretty damn insightful. Though, he hasn’t made the correlation between the two just yet. That was all me, baby.
Before I begin to ramble about this revelation, let me present some uncited, yet formidable ‘tips’ from veteran stand-up comedians –
- Allow ideas to evolve and flow
- Write everyday – pick a Point of View and find the comedic conflict
- Don’t worry about spelling or grammar – why would you? It’s a routine.
- Don’t memorize every word of your performance – spontaneity and improvisation are crucial
- Break down the fourth wall – No idea what this is, but it sounds ominous.
- Balance writing and performing
- Don’t be a jerk
CAUTION – Non-politically correct material included. It’s really funny, though.
My son and I disagreed slightly about the order of importance regarding the three crucial elements: timing- delivery – content. He felt delivery edged out timing. Only by a small margin, though. I countered. You can always have delivery, but without timing, delivery can be a total fail. Timing truly is everything. It’s like this annoying genetic trait inherited by those lucky few people I hate so much. Just kidding. I’m just totally jealous. My timing issues, or lack there of, are well documented.
Content, we decided, was the least important of the three. Sad, but true. And, I’m a writer. It doesn’t matter how stellar the content, if the timing and delivery aren’t there, you ain’t got shit. Quite frankly, there are countless examples where mediocrity thrives just because of impeccable publicity. Crazy, stupid shit goes viral constantly. Thankfully, the ability to sustain the hype ultimately relies on content. (heavy sigh of relief)
Take it from someone who’s been in the trenches for some time – timing really is everything. I realize that my content is often marginal, and often ‘niched’. But, it’s improving. Fortunately, I’ve got persistence and longevity, baby. My time will come. My Life will no longer be a Fictionalized Memoir. It will be a well deserved reality. And, that’s A Promise.
