Joke Farming: How to Write Comedy and Other Nonsense

The winner of four Emmys, a Peabody, and two Writers Guild Awards (all of which badly need dusting) explains his process for writing comedy without going insane.

Philosophers may debate the meaning of comedy (thankfully keeping them too busy to fall into a life of crime), but the rest of us are more likely to wonder how we can make an audience laugh--or at least, how to entertain our friends and followers. According to award-winning comedy writer Elliott Kalan, we need to stop staring out the window, waiting for hilarious bits to stroll into view, fully formed. What we need is a process to plant their premises, tend to their structure and wording, and ultimately harvest them as funny material. In short, a farm. But for jokes.

In Joke Farming, Kalan explains that it’s easier to write jokes when you have a dependable method for doing so. All jokes, he argues, are built from the same elements: structure, premise, voice, tone, wording, and audience--and these elements can be applied to any comedic genre, from stand-up to sitcoms to satire. Kalan analyzes examples from his own career--including jokes that he wrote (and rewrote and rewrote and rewrote . . . ) as head writer for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart--as well as material from a diverse array of comedians, writers, and filmmakers, highlighting the phrasing, rhythm, and precise details that make their work so dang funny.

Drawing on his experiences in professional writers’ rooms as well as episodes from everyday life, Kalan’s guide to jokes will appeal to aspiring writers, their mentors, comedy fans, and anyone who has to speak at a wedding. Joke Farming points the way toward a writing process that lessens stress and agony and yields more reliable rewards: a surprising tagline, a hilarious word choice, and--most importantly--a bigger laugh from the audience, whoever they may be.

Elliott Kalan is an Emmy, Peabody, and Writers Guild Award-winning television writer and producer whose credits include head writer for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and head writer for the reboot of Mystery Science Theater 3000, among other shows. He is currently executive producer and showrunner for the forthcoming Ghostbusters animated series on Netflix. He also hosts or cohosts the podcasts SmartLess Presents: ClueLess, The Flop House, and The Power Broker, a limited series from 99% Invisible. Additional writing credits include the history podcast Presidents Are People, Too!, the children’s sketch comedy show The Who Was? Show, three children’s picture books, and comic book series for Marvel and DC Comics.