...and Some Random Thoughts on Comedy

On the stand up comedy front, I have now hit open mic eleven. Which is nothing in a big city but in a smaller town like Ithaca it's still not an accomplishment. Two were at least out of town, more than an hour from where I'm staying, so there is some effort. Slow start but I was always more tortoise than hare anyway. I'm hoping to push that number up next year but I have a few things to work on.

First I need to find a way to get more time speaking. I'm not sure if I'll have time or resources to make this happen before my return to Ithaca this March, but it's something I need to keep in mind. I've been working behind the scenes jobs for years so one-on-one conversation is what I'm used to. Any public speaking competitions from High School are little more than a memory for me so pretty much useless. It's time that I fix that before I try to get much further. I enjoy being on stage, I just get nervous up there because I care about what I'm doing. I want to fix this, because I plan to continue to care about it.

To work on my fear of heights I just went to Darien Lake and rode every roller coaster, one after the other. It didn't fix the problem but I had fun, even if I did scream a lot. At a slightly less than manly pitch. Having fun even in the face of fear was a good step and help me address some other issues in my life. Certainly not the proper approach to all problems but sometimes you do just have to go for it. For speaking though it's repetition I need. Since those opportunities don't typically drop into my lap, it's time to track some down.

I could find a somewhere to read to a group of children. Book stores and libraries both have story time readings. As an audience children are not always the easiest to keep the attention of, so I'd have to animated while still patient. That might be easier than trying to hold attention at a bar, but kids will let you know if you are reading wrong. I was once chastised for reading a fairy story wrong. I still don't know what I did wrong.

Some local acting wouldn't be bad, though for now it's a bit of a drive. Prepared lines and movements in front of a live audience are a lot different from trying to entertain using only yourself. Plus typically when someone comes to see a stage performance, they have some idea that they will like what they are going to be watching. Which sounds nice but not something I will have the advantage of. Student films are also out there, but again not the same.

Street performance is how many people got their start. Eddie Izzard to name my favorite. I have no skill at music, juggling or slight of hand, so my only thought was to try story telling of sorts. I have a partial mockup of what I want to try, I just have to try it. It is no frills for now as I have no props or costume, but some people like the idea. Not exactly a winter performance so I will have to work on it in private until spring. I like to think of it as one-on-one improv.

One other thought is to try and start my own stand up open mic. Not sure if there is room for a second, or even where to do it, but more stage time would benefit everyone. Something to look into at least. I have four more months living out of town so it's not like I won't have the time to look into it.

The second thing I am doing is rethinking what I am going to do. I've gotten advice from four people that I have been considering. The two guys both said I should slow things down. Which I guess could just be nerves getting the better of me. So hopefully more speaking practice will help there. From the ladies it's, “be kind” and “punch up not down”. Which has been food for thought. I'm debating setting aside what I have so far and just trying to start with this in mind. In the few attempts I have made, I tried jokes, making up stories and just telling ones I've been part of. I found where I am the most comfortable and how I prepare the best. Now I just have to get more focused on what I want to say.

I have some ideas, we'll see how they go.

Some Random Thoughts on Writing

It's been several years now, but at one point I had started keeping track of some random characters I had pop into my head. They had no story, nor did they have much more than a vague idea of a world to inhabit, but they were there so I kept track of them. Over the years I spoken too as few as two people about some of the characters I had and even jotted them down in a notebook, having nothing to actually write about them.

Now that I have started writing I have slowly been building a world for them. Rather than jump straight to writing about the characters I had in mind, I started writing around them and trying to create others. In doing so I found that I have not one, but two distinctly different worlds. Somewhat the same location, but at a very different time. It was one short story that I had jotted down a brief outline of that had thrown the wrench in the works. Once I finished it, I found it no longer fit the rest of what I was building. On its own though it could spawn some interesting stories. Possibly better ones than the world it came from.

I spent some time at the library this week doing research and so far I like what I'm coming up with. It's also nice spending some time at the library for something other than work or class. As an added bonus, research in building the original world will also work for the new one. After the first trip to the stacks I've already added a new main character, I just need time to develop the surrounding society. I was also able to expand upon one theme I had already started in the first story. A very productive first visit.

The whole process is fun as the stories and ideas don't have to entertain anyone other than myself. Only one person has even seen a short story from each of these worlds, so for now the work I do is very much for myself. Not from the standpoint of the reader as I don't aim to write the stories I like to read, just to tell the stories in my head. It's in the creation and finding your own way that I find enjoyment in. Much like the time I watched my oldest sister paint. She threw a drop cloth down on the kitchen floor, flopped a canvas in the middle and dove in. No fancy tools, no worries, just hands on work. Creation is about one style, your own. There is no point trying to force out something just to please people.

I like to hear advice from people who have already walked the path ahead of me. If you listen long enough you will hear the stories of their struggles. It helps keep things in perspective. I recently read some advice credited to George R. R. Martin, which told people to create their own worlds and create characters people will love. My world has been simmering in the back of my mind for seven years so my next step will not to be creating characters, but reading. With all the advice flying around about Game of Thrones because people get attached to the characters, it's now on my must read list. Until I get a copy, I have plenty of research to do.

New Beginnings

Why have I chosen to pursue a career in stand up comedy and as a fiction writer?

It's not the kind of question anyone who knows me would ask. Not that they may not want to know. I just have a history of trying things on a whim. So there may be some who think this is a passing fad, while there are just as many cheering me on in anything I want to try. In the end time will tell. This blog is not so much to entertain, as it is to keep me thinking and writing so that I will have a better shot at both. So at least the way I see it, just writing here is just one step closer to success.

I'll attack this in halves starting with stand up comedy. I've been reading advice from a couple Binghamton, NY comedians who have been working at it for 4 to 5 years. It was some of what they said that prompted me to write this. They've done groundwork so guys like me would have an easier time starting, so I listen to what they have to say.

I've never been charismatic or the popular kid. There was never anyone telling me I was funny and should do stand up. Nor do I have any illusions about becoming rich and famous. Which I guess covers the main “wrong reasons” to get into comedy. What happened was while I was in Florida for three months, I really wanted a creative outlet. I had never really had anything that was truly mine. I was better at destroying things than creating them. When I returned to Ithaca I tried the open mic at Pixel Lounge. I bombed right out of the gate. Not once. Not twice, but three times in a row. Each time I stepped off the stage I felt a drive to do better the next time. As short as the time was on stage, with me bumbling over what I had prepared, it was fun. What few laughs I had gotten, were mine. That in itself was more than enough for me to seriously set my sights on comedy as a career. It also doesn't hurt that I don't feel the need to be drunk to be funny. When I go to open mic, I have my two drinks to show the bar my appreciation for supporting the event, then I'm done. I want my failures to be mine, not my blood alcohol content. I can't expect to get anywhere if I can't feel myself stumble over my own words.

Despite only having a handful of open mics under my belt, I have improved and continue to work at improving further. More of my friends have started dropping by as I have improved. Eventually I received my favorite comments, “Why aren't you this funny when we hang out?” Which I guess is just added proof that no one thought I should ever be a comedian. My desire to fight my own nerves and become more comfortable on stage, possibly better evidence that I belong there.

Writing was a whole other ball game for me, though is really in the same ballpark as far what I am looking to accomplish. I spend a lot of time writing comedy, so putting together something longer, of a different genre, is just more skill building for me. Once again though, except for one person, I was never encouraged to write. In fact I, due to a number of influences over my childhood, had been convinced that I could never become one. It would take until age forty-two when I would finally cut myself loose from imagined chains.

Again I returned to Ithaca with this desire to create. Spend time with some talented kids, it'll do it to you. One of my friends in town is an author and has been self publishing a small zine. Every other month she puts together a small booklet dedicated to a specific genre. The day I find out about this I also discover that the next issue is horror. After expressing interest I was told to put together a short story and if there was room it would be included. I manged to crank out two in short order. Both were included, thus documenting my entry into the world of fiction. So much for not being able to write.

So why become a writer and a stand up comedian? Because I have it in me to get somewhere with both even though it'll be a rough trip. I know it'll take me a while to get anywhere with either, but I am being realistic about it. I'm prepared to fail on a regular basis, because I know I need that to learn. Persistence, hard work, and educating myself will get me through. So far I have not missed the local stand up open mic. I've even burned through gas money to hit a couple out of town. My stories are written well before the deadlines. That's how you get started with anything. Focusing on the small steps and building to bigger and better things.