How to Write a Good Joke

When I was a kid it was easy to write good jokes. My friends and family loved to laugh at me and it was probably because of my gaping toothless smile or my matted, dirty blond hair. Now, as an adult, it is harder to tweak that funny bone in most folks. Writing a joke is like any other writing; you have to consider the audience and put yourself on the receiving side of the joke telling.

There are broad categories of humor that most audiences will respond to - political jabs, family stories and self study. Some people like jokes that poke fun at their own behavior or embarassing fears. Others laugh at jokes that poke fun at somebody else's behavior, i.e. blonde jokes. It might be hard to assess the audience depending on how well you know them and what the venue is - a wedding, birthday, office party or gala event. Try this technique borrowed from quality control tools, and organize your thoughts on joke writing with a cause and effect diagram.

Sometimes called a fish bone diagram these charts organize your thoughts and help you see the relationship between topics. In the effect spot, where the fish head would be, put the joke effect you are going for - laughter, snicker, giggle. Then use the cause lines, the fish skeleton, to write down ideas that will bring about the desired effect. Here is where the brainstorming is done and the relationships analyzed. After you have drawn out your ideas you can begin writing the jokes.

Joke formats can be storytelling, one-liners, questions and answer, quizzes or many other forms too. Consider how much time you have to tell the jokes. Are you using humor as an introduction? Sometimes you can write a joke as part of discussion wrap up to leave the stage amid laughter and applause. Writing jokes requires creativity, thoughtfulness and persistence. If something works great remember it and if something flops they'll never let you forget it!