Improv Comedy Improved My Writing More Than Any Class or Book

The Powerful Benefits Even If You Don’t Pursue Comedy

I started taking improv classes on a lark in Austin Texas while I was writing my first book. I fell in love and never stopped.

After years of practice, moving to LA, and failing a few thousand times, I’ve had the great honor of performing at the Groundlings Theatre, where Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig, and many others got their start.

The strange thing was that I noticed my non-comedy writing improving almost immediately.

What’s the deal?

Yes, And

The first and most fundamental rule of improv. Yes, and…

For the uninitiated, this is the idea that no matter what your scene partner says, you respond with “yes, and… (add information).” You don’t literally say “yes, and,” (mostly) but the idea is that you never deny a gift that your partner gives you.

You are in a dance on stage, constructing reality. It requires extreme presence of mind, empathy, and calm. If you are stuck in your own head, or trying to be funny, or worried about the audience, you won’t be there for your scene partner, and the scene will likely fail.

The same thing is true for writing.

If you’re worried about what people will think, or trying to seem like someone you’re not, you’re not going listen to your own intuitions. The most important thing to learn in writing is to say yes to yourself in each moment. Have faith that you will figure it out as you go.

The Butt of The Joke

Improv is really easy to make fun of. Bad improv is everywhere, it’s attention-seeking, a lot of theaters are like cults, and it’s embarrassing to go see a friend do it.

I see this as a great filter. If you can’t take that stigma, you won’t make the cut.

Improv doesn’t need to be cool. If it was, it would be ruined.

And despite this reputation, it still continues to produce many very successful people. The list of famous people who started in improv is a mile long, but even non-actors or comedians, like Tim Ferriss, have done improv. He sites it as a great way to get over a fear of public speaking.

The sooner you get over the need to be “cool,” the better for your creative career. No faster way than doing a scene about kissing robots in front of your roommate.

The Million Tiny Ways to be a Dick

Why didn’t that scene work? The possibilities are endless.

The audience wants to laugh. They want to release the tension in the room. All you really have to do is give them permission. You do that by being likable. Wait, am I not likable?

None of us are perfect socializers. We say the wrong things, we talk about ourselves too much, we brought up Hitler too much on that first date.

The problem is, in regular life, no one will tell you if you’re being kind of a dick. They only really let you know if you cross the line. Or they just choose to not hang out with you as much.

In improv, you need to know when, exactly, you are being kind of a dick, because that’s the only way to get better.

Trust me, people cry while getting notes from teachers all the time. We try to pretend like it’s not personal. You know what? It is personal. We are being told how we are coming off, as a human being. That’s probably the number one reason people quit. They would rather go back to normal life where people keep their dislike of them to themselves.

That may seem harsh, and maybe it is, but I think it also presents an amazing opportunity for growth. Improv is the only setting in the world where I have ever felt like people are willing to be honest with me about how I am coming off.

As Mr. Rogers said, if it is mentionable, it is manageable. It doesn’t mean we stop being ourselves, but we make choices from a place of awareness, as opposed to ignorance. Sometimes there is nothing better than doing exactly the opposite of what our audience wants from us, but we have to have that awareness to begin with.

Laughs Don’t Lie

When performing in front of an audience, even if they want to laugh for you, they can’t unless you make them. Isn’t that strange?

It is truly a humbling experience to bomb. And an exhilarating experience to kill. Because you know, in your heart, that both were the truth.

After having experienced that, I’m no longer afraid of rejection of my writing. In comparison, it’s no big deal.

Learn to Love Humiliation

Sweet, sweet humiliation. There is not much more painful in the human experience, I think.

Everyone should experience it.

When you fall flat on your face, you think no one will ever want to look at you again. When you see that no one cares, you survived, and all your friends are still your friends, something changes in you.

Life is not as serious as we thought.

The Bump in the Dark

I had a teacher say to me one time, “If you hear a bump in the dark, go check it out immediately.”

This is incredible advice for improv, and for life.

When you feel a fear surface in your consciousness, go see what it is!

If you’re on stage, it might be the thought “Oh no, I hope I don’t look stupid.” Guess what you need to do? Look stupid on purpose.

You might be afraid of being a bad writer. Try writing badly. See what happens.

Keep it Simple (Stupid)

We hide behind complexity.

If you can’t make it simple, then you’re either trying to confuse me, or you’re insecure, or you don’t understand it well enough.

In comedy, you learn that simple is better. Let complexity arise naturally if it wants to, but every scene can be a pick-up scene if that’s what you’re feeling. You don’t have to surprise the audience in that way.

When writing, explain yourself as simply as possible. No flowery language. No bullshit.

“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” — Einstein

Online Classes

There is no better time to try improv if you don’t live in a big comedy city, because they are all offering improv classes online due to the pandemic.

Try The Groundlings or UCB.

Let me know if you do!

Originally published at https://www.taylorforeman.com on August 4, 2020.