Practical Stand-Up: Writing Material, Doing Open Mics, and Building a Tight Five

Building a stand-up set involves writing many jokes, killing most of them, and refining the survivors through countless open mic performances. The comics who develop skill share habits of daily writing, regular open mic attendance, and willingness to bomb repeatedly while learning. This course walks through that practical work. You will work through written exercises that mirror how a thoughtful comic would build material and stage time across months. The emphasis is on the writing-performing cycle rather than waiting for inspiration. What you'll learn: - Build a daily writing practice that produces raw material consistently - Develop jokes through structured editing that strengthens setup, premise, and punchline - Plan open mic strategy including which mics to attend, how often, and tracking results - Refine material through performance including reading the room and adjusting delivery - Build a polished tight five through deliberate selection and order of your best material - Manage bombing, anxiety, and the social realities of comedy scenes The course progresses from daily writing through joke editing, open mic strategy, performance refinement, building a tight five, and managing the realities of comedy. A capstone written exercise asks you to plan a complete three-month stand-up practice grounded in your local scene and writing capacity. This course is designed for committed beginners ready to do open mics and aspiring comics ready for structured work. No prior performance experience is required. The course treats stand-up as a craft you can develop through structured practice and respects how the slow accumulation of material and stage time actually works.