Some comedians write funny things, other comedians write things funny! There are no strict rules when it comes to writing jokes – just chuckles – and that’s why writing gags is such a laugh! Sometimes it can be quite hard writing funny jokes, so don’t be dismayed if you struggle… just think of rubbish jokes instead. That’s what dads do!

Here are some blam tips to get you started!

1. Know your audience!

When you’re writing a gag it’s important to know who the audience is. A joke about TikTok might not work at your grandad's 78th birthday party, although great aunt Margaret definitely knows that you’d call a werewolf YouTuber a Lycansubscribe! They'll howl with laughter at that one.

2. Don’t be mean!

You might get a few nervous chuckles with a mean joke, but you haven’t really made anybody happy and that’s the real purpose of jokes. Make sure that after the punchline everybody's laughing… not just you!

3. Laugh at yourself!

If you’ve got a joke that’s a bit mean, why not turn make it about yourself to get maximum laughs! Then again, we learnt comedy from the mistakes of people who took our advice! 

Did you see what we did there?

4. Try a funny one-liner!

One-liners are really short jokes. We’d tell you some but our joke book fell into the fire and we only have our shelf to blame!

5. The classic knock-knock joke!

Knock-knock jokes are funny because they are really cheesy, and it’s fun trying to work them out before the punchline arrives. You have to really creative to surprise someone into laughing…

Knock-knock!
Who’s there?
Eye map… 

See what we mean?

6. Use creative wordplay!

Wordplay jokes rely on words that sound the same or similar. You learn about homonyms at school, so shock your teacher by actually listening to the lesson. They’ll be even more surprised when you to tell them that a prism is where naughty shapes are sent during a geometry lesson! That's an excellent joke!

7. You could always tell a dad joke!

Dad jokes are funny because they are so bad. These jokes are great for people who aren’t funny enough to write better jokes – sorry, dads!

8. Break the mould!

Get an old style joke and change how it works. You: Knock-knock? Friend: Who’s there? You: The interrupting cow. Friend: The interrup… You: Moooooo!

9. Be surrealy Funny!

Sometimes just writing something that people aren’t expecting can be funny... banana.

10. Make those punchlines count!

The basic idea of a joke is that the last bit is funny, but there’s nothing stopping you adding multiple punchlines. You can’t get too many laughs after all! A great punchline will ensure your joke is a hit!

For help and support with how you’re feeling, visit https://www.place2be.org.uk/page/get-urgent-help/