Hey welcome back. Today, we'll finally finish writing a comedy sketch. After 4 long posts, lots of word clouds, and lots of unfunny comedy lessons, it all ends tonight.
We'll pick up right where we left off at the end of page 2 of the sketch.
Finishing Up
Page 3
As promised, here is the next page. I mentioned before that I wanted my next beat to sort of explore the "red flags" that the parents saw when they were raising Simon. A big idea for sketch comedy is the mantra: "If this is true, what else is true?" Basically, this means that if you have established some set of information, how can you expand on that with more details and world building that support and reinforce your ideas. The result will often make for good comedy.
Here, I've established that Simon is weird for having grounded, realistic, stable dreams. To elaborate on that, I've written that he would write legal documents while other kids played, ask for a briefcase from Santa Claus, and dress up as a financial analyst for Halloween. All of this while his parents look upon him with disappointment and worry.
I've written this beat out in sort of a montage-y way in order to speed through it. It does little for the audience to dwell on the details, all they need to see is Young Simon acting like how we would expect him to knowing what we know from previous information established.
Page 4
On page 4 we see the previous beat ending. We go back to the living to have a moment in between beats, not too long though. For the next beat we will see how Simon compares to the esteemed David. We've heard about him from the first beat, and now we get to finally see him, like a Chekhov's David of sorts. Anyways, we're just starting the beat now. David will be completely the opposite of Simon, and Simon's parents are going to be all over him for it.
Page 5
The sketch doesn't last much longer after that. On page 5, we get to see the opposite happening--everyone praising David for being artsy and being sort of a hippie. Simon, looking for comfort, returns to his legal documents. And we're done! We end on the final beat, (arguably) the most exciting or funniest part of the sketch.
Now as far as my writing process is concerned, is this sketch finished? Oh no way. Not in your dreams. Good writing, as far as I'm concerned, is a process of writing and then rewriting. Periods of creativity followed by periods of editing and cutting. I will need to look back through this sketch when all is said and done in order to make adjustments, big and small.
Teamwork
Derrick Comedy
Now this is where being involved in a club is very handy. Having other people read your work and offer you notes and feedback is an essential part of improving your writing and the quality of each individual sketch. If that's not available to you, I would also recommend having a few friends whose opinions you trust to look it over. Maybe in return you can read through their work as well.
After several periods of writing, review, and rewriting, I will be satisfied with a sketch and ready to officially submit it or film it. This is art, not science, you can't get everything exactly right. It's important to know when to hang your hat and call it a day.
Closing Thoughts
I really enjoy sketch comedy. I think it's a great form of comedic expression and a very viable form of entertainment. I've loved being involved with Generation and getting to write comedy with all of my friends. I hope I've given you some insight into my process, and some insight into writing comedy in general. Thank you for reading! Now go out and write something!
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