How To Capture and Develop Ideas!
Notes of a Standup Comic #10
There comes a small moment in a quiet corner of one’s mind that the question pops up:
Am I really in control of my own life? After all, would I really have chosen those jungle colored cheetah speedos for my anniversary night? Was that a conscious decision??
I’d like to think not - that perhaps the myriad of foul ups and mishits over the course of one’s life could be chalked up to the benevolent force that makes the grass grow and dogs poop everywhere.
Which begs the question: where do our ideas come from? Certainly it can be argued in many cases that if it weren’t for bad ideas, we would have no ideas at all! If in fact it is the infinite cosmos creating energetic synapses in our reptilian brains, why does it create suffering? Have you heard a Bon Jovi cover band lately? Or seen Superman #273? I think he’s trans in this one. These are broad ontological considerations.
My point (pretty sure there is one) is ideas tend to come from some mysterious, non-specific place in our awareness. In fact, many of them are poorly conceived, like opening a horse farm next to a marijuana dispensary, or gas station sushi.
However, I would submit, all ideas that come unbidden into our awareness, particularly if they bear some relevance to our tasks at hand (in my case comedy and creative work), deserve to be investigated.
To that end, I’d like to talk about some of the steps that I take to capture and develop ideas, and humbly suggest one consider, when these ideas do come.
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Okay then, having released that uncomfortably tight wedgie from my literary backside, let us commence with the following quick and dirty list of IDEAS about IDEAS:
(This is specifically tailored to comedians, but I think applicable to other endeavors)
When an idea comes to mind, don’t immediately evaluate it. Suspend judgment (that goes for this entire list too, btw)
Instead, immediately record the idea/thought on your phone, or write it down on parchment.
To be clear, this means pull over in the middle of the Brooklyn Bridge during rush hour traffic before risking the loss of a potentially fertile idea. The main point is to honor the blessing you’re being given from your personal G-d.
Please bear in mind, a new idea will otherwise vanish faster than euphoria after ice cream, or the other thing (get your mind out of the gutter!)
Once recorded, ignore said idea. Let it sit. There’s no hurry. That’s the beauty of getting it down.
Return to it with fresh eyes. This could be a couple days, or longer (I’ve worked on an idea on and off for years, always taking breaks)
If it’s something I think can be funny, I ask myself, why? What am I actually feeling? What does it remind me of? What’s it trying to say? Eventually, how does this relate to humanity?
This process is all loose, playful, lightly held. Like when you were a kid at the swings. Just take the ride.
I’ll brainstorm an idea, meaning writing whatever related gibberish the questions above trigger, (still without any judgment). There are no self-imposed restrictions. Again, playful. . .
This attitude gives the imagination great space to roam. Also, ignore any critical self-talk. Remember, at the end of the day:
No one sees the way you do.
No one experiences the way you do.
See if any connections are made. Does the idea relate to an already existing bit/joke? Does it fit somewhere in your set? Is it something recognizable to your persona? Can you hear it in your voice?
I’ll repeat this process many times over, even with one little seed of an idea. The brainstorming may have yielded a lot more ideas to play with, like a birthing of divergent branches, potentially taking one in a wholly different direction than initially anticipated.
As such, in effect, let the idea(s) “soak” in one’s consciousness; let it marinate in the subconscious. It’s like living with it, albeit not consciously; let the whole energy of the idea flow through your mind and heart.
A moment in the shower, driving, anywhere you’re relaxed, might bring a flash of clarity. The jokes/ideas/connections start to form like rainwater. Naturally coming together. It doesn’t have to be a big bang in scope; it can be the tying of two little things together, for instance. But the more you “live with” the idea, the more ideas continue to germinate and grow. It’s a delicate balance of tending to, without forcing.
At that point, it’s time to shift into the joke mechanics part of the equation. The nuts and bolts of funny. The many elements including language, tone, gestures, pauses, cadence, rhthym, volume, etc. This is a giant topic unto itself, because a poorly worded, timed, or set up punchline can be completely wasted, if not delivered just so. A natural execution.
The good news is none of this is ever carved in stone; these two wings of the dove, so to speak, the brainstorm and mechanics, are always active and ever shifting in one’s focus. The work is always alive, changing and evolving by the moment.
As such, every time a piece of material (the idea fleshed out) is delivered on stage, it continues to develop and evolve. It is a constant process of editing and modification. This frees you to try different approaches. The ideas themselves are just that, ideas; it’s the performance and audience reaction which are the true crucible. My five minute chunk on handicapped underwater penguins sounded nothing short of Robin-Williams-esque brilliance - in my mind! Not out-loud!
Have fun and enjoy the process as much as possible.
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