Sometimes the way to improve a piece isn't by adding jokes to it but by deleting them. Even jokes I really like sometimes don't belong. I wrote an article last week that had more than two dozen jokes in it but it wasn't that good. Two people who read it didn't think the piece was funny enough. So I went back in, cut out a lot, and brought it to about 15 jokes. I submitted it, and the editor of the outlet cut a couple more, and now it's a much better piece.
I mention this because I read an article in the New York Times that profiled David Javerbaum, a former "Daily Show" writer and the author of "An Act of God," a Broadway show based on a series of tweets.
You can hate him all you want because of that but he said something that makes sense to me:
“I have no problem whatsoever with cutting jokes of mine,” he said. “Being at ‘The Daily Show’ for 11 years, having my jokes killed by the thousands, and killing other people’s jokes by the thousands, after a while you realize it’s fine, there’s another one out there.”
I read that at a time (last week) when I had trouble with another piece I was working on. After reading those lines about needing to kill jokes, I killed a bunch of jokes that I liked but weren't working for me. After the cuts, the piece read much better. I haven't heard back if the editor of a different publication will run the piece but subtracting jokes improved the piece.
I'm writing about it to remember to keep that lesson in mind.
I mention this because I read an article in the New York Times that profiled David Javerbaum, a former "Daily Show" writer and the author of "An Act of God," a Broadway show based on a series of tweets.
You can hate him all you want because of that but he said something that makes sense to me:
“I have no problem whatsoever with cutting jokes of mine,” he said. “Being at ‘The Daily Show’ for 11 years, having my jokes killed by the thousands, and killing other people’s jokes by the thousands, after a while you realize it’s fine, there’s another one out there.”
I read that at a time (last week) when I had trouble with another piece I was working on. After reading those lines about needing to kill jokes, I killed a bunch of jokes that I liked but weren't working for me. After the cuts, the piece read much better. I haven't heard back if the editor of a different publication will run the piece but subtracting jokes improved the piece.
I'm writing about it to remember to keep that lesson in mind.
