The "Breaking into Pro Joke Writing" workshop launched yesterday, Aug 3, 2025, 4-6 pm, at The Creek and the Cave comedy club, in downtown Austin.
It was my first time at the club, and it was really nice, professional, staff was cool, just a good vibe all around.
20 people showed up, which is great for a first meet. I ran my background a bit, then let everyone intro themselves for 25 seconds, then used that as a three-part writing exercise -- (1) now go back and rewrite your intro to get laughs; (2) grab a partner and rewrite their intro (aka, become their writer); (3) pick one person (Thomas, this time), and EVERYONE write new lines for his intro (Thomas now had his own writing staff for a brief moment in time).
Fun session, went fast. Not always sure how much to hit people with, and most of the attendees seemed pretty new to standup, and thus VERY new to even the concept of getting paid to write jokes, get on talk show staffs, etc. But seemed to flow, stayed fun, and, well, that seems good enough to launch with.
(Join the Pro Joke Writers FB group to stay up on what's what, meet other writers, and post your own genius lines whenever you like.)