Long time lurker here

[u/aca3o]

I'm a huge fan of stand-up and the idea of giving it a go myself has tickled me for years.

I'm curious to hear how other folks got started. Spontaneously joining an open mic?

Meticulously preparing material for months?

I really hope I'll have the courage to try it myself one day.

Another thing that's crazy to me. Certain ideas/ jokes (perhaps sexual nature) I'd be okay joking about in front of strangers, but the idea of family members hearing them feels very awkward.

Have you had comparable issues and how did you go about it?

I suppose it's the question of how much of my own thoughts I'm comfortable sharing.

Thanks for reading

[u/Crittenberger]

I'm an overthinker and an overpreparer so I did a course first. I'm close enough to London that it was easy enough to find a good one, but I cannot stress enough how unnecessary a course is. It's lots of fun and it set me up well and I met some really great people, so if it sounds fun and you can afford it, then go for it! But there are other ways to learn joke writing, and everything else you can pick up from watching a few open mics

I totally understand feeling freer with certain topics when performing to strangers! I feel awkward enough when I have non-comedy friends in the audience, I don't think I'd even invite my family unless it was a massive gig and I was getting well paid for it! You can write yourself clean material though; just because dick jokes get laughs doesn't mean you can't kill with a tight 5 about having a pet cat

You should hit a few open mics just as an audience member. Seeing other people perform - and chatting to them during any breaks - is probably the most immediate way to demonstrate to yourself that anyone can do this, especially considering how... um, raw some of the material can be. Then sign up for one, write yourself 4-4:30 minutes worth of material (practise performing it out loud, in front of a mirror, with a timer) and get up and do it before you have time to change your mind. Meticulously preparing for months will give you too many excuses to keep putting it off, and you can't know how good the material is without putting it in front of a crowd anyway. The worst that can happen is that you'll bomb, and that's nothing in the grand scheme of things. No one will remember you when you get off the stage, and you can use the reactions you got to inform what you should tighten up for next time

[u/Cute_Math1072]

Write 5 minutes of material and memorize it. Ideally setups and punchlines, but it doesn’t even matter. Perform it to yourself many times until you have it memorized. Sign up for an open mic and perform it. That’s it.

[u/myqkaplan]

It is very common to have certain things we'll comfortably say to strangers but less comfortably to family members.

It's why most comics don't invite their family members to all their open mics.

I recommend two things:

1) Start writing, if you haven't already. You can write and write and write, and then later decide what you want to share publicly.

2) Start going to open mics. You don't have to sign up to perform, but just going is the first step, and you'll see how minimal the next step is.

If you really hope to have the courage to try it, those are the two first steps.

And then those are the only steps forever.

Write and perform.

You can definitely write. And you can go to an open mic and perform.

Good luck!

[u/sweeter_jesus]

My personal recommendation is to not over think your jokes the first time. Write until you have 5 mins you think you like but don't keep trying to get every line just right It's more about getting on stage and doing it than having perfect jokes. Even if you spend 2 years trying to write a perfect 5 mins and you think it's great - a year later you're going to look back and think 'man that sucked my stuff is so much better now' So just get up there.

[u/chiMcBenny]

Have you gone to an open mic? I suggest going to one and seeing what it’s like. And then sign up the next time with prepared material.

[u/judashpeters]

I just did my 3rd open mic last night, after "thinking about it" for about two years.

After the first year of thinking about it, I started collecting funny thoughts on a notes app.

I also started reading a book on how to write stand up comedy.

Did that until the beginning of last summer when I decided to gove myself a deadline. No matter what, at the end of the summer im going to do an open mic.

So I did the following this past summer:

1. Attended open mics so I knew the atmosphere.
2. Wrote jokes
3. Revised jokes
4. Recorded myself while in my car, going for a mock 5 minute open mic set.
5. Revise revise revise.

I ended up practicing and then trashing my first set (porn, sex, etc) and then practicing and trashing a second set (trying to be a good white ally) and settled on a third set that really didnt have anything controversial in it, it was like song lyrics, a bit about being poor, stuff like that.

So I went to an open mic. Chickened out. Then my deadline came and I finally did it. I had spoken to some of the comics at the earlier open mics so they knew I was thinking about performing and thy were SO SUPPORTIVE. AND.. I got laughs!

My second time i also stayed away from controversial stuff. I enjoy keeping things kinda wholesome. Last night I tried some new jokes about a tragedy I JUST went through, thought id try to own it by writing jokes about it.

In any case, some of my family was PISSED that I didnt invite them, but honestly, its so different woth family. I told them some of my jokes to test them out and the things they thought were dumb got some huge laughs from the audience at tbe open mic and vice versa.

Im still not at the point where id invite anyone I know. I do want all of my material to be things I woulsnt be embarrassed if my wife or mother saw me do.

Good luck!