Writing For Sketch Comedy Part 2: Comedic Structure

Hey, it’s Eric - aspiring comedy writer. I’m here to once again show you my creative process for writing.

As I mentioned last post, I'm involved with Generation Sketch Comedy, Gainesville’s Longest Running Sketch Comedy Troupe. Also last post, I brainstormed a few Ideas that I could later flesh out into a full-length comedy sketch. I chose to move on with a sketch about two parents who don't support their child's dream of pursuing a stable, financially viable career - an ironic twist on the conventional story of parents not being supportive of their child's dream to pursue art.

Like before, I usually start my writing process by brainstorming with a non-linear word cloud. This time will be no different. Usually, I like to time myself with my phone so that I can focus only on the ideas and not how long I've been writing. I'll give myself around 10 minutes to try and brainstorm some jokes or "beats" for this sketch.

Brainstorming

Word Cloud

10 minutes later and here we are! Some ideas for details, dialogue, and jokes for the sketch:

• Flipping the conventional arguments against choosing art as a career:
• Pursue it as a hobby
• You won't make any money // you need to support a family // I don't want you living in my basement
• Lazy
• You should take on the family business
• Other parents will judge me
• Why can't you be like (cousin or family friend)
• Having the child want to pursue something really, REALLY dry like accounting (not to diss on accountants).
• Have the child get into a super elite college - Harvard, Yale, Stanford
• Parents have a family business of selling custom-made pet throw pillows (or something equally as specific)
• The parents should have majored in humanities while in college - philosophy, visual design, TELECOM :0
• Red flags the parents have noticed before: the child writing tax documents while other kids were playing with toys, child going as an actuary for Halloween, asking Santa for a briefcase, etc.

Now the main task at hand is figuring out how to fit this content within the structure of a comedic sketch. 

Comedic Structure

Improv Comedy

Now, time for a little lesson on comedic writing. Many forms of comedic entertainment, improv, sketch, and satire, employ something called "comedic structure." Comedic structure differs in delivery and length from dramatic structure, which is much more common. Long-form TV series and feature films employed dramatic structure. Short-form comedic structure breaks down as such:

Hit the game of the sketch -> repeat until the funniest, most ridiculous moment.

Basically, the game of a comedic piece, or in this case sketch, is the main joke or premise. In the case of my own sketch, it's the irony of having artsy parents trying to sway their son away from a stable career choice. 

When you have a game, you try to write out beats or moments when a joke is made that has to do with the game. You write out several beats, each one more crazy or funnier than the last, and then conclude the sketch on the funniest, most ridiculous beat.

Conventionally, content employing comedic structure shouldn't last more than 7-10 minutes. After that point, you run out of ways to surprise and entertain your audience using the same game. 

Thanks for reading! Next time I will translate these ideas into comedic beats and onto the screen. Stay tuned for more.