Comedy Writing Tip #10: How to Bomb Gracefully and Keep Your Dignity

Bombing is inevitable - here's how to fail upward: 1) **The Fake Technical Difficulty** - "Hold on, my joke writer forgot to give me the punchline... oh wait, that's me." 2) **The Blame Shift** - "This joke KILLED in prison... well, not the joke specifically, but something killed in prison." 3) **The Honesty Ploy** - "That last bit was supposed to be funny... which tells you how much I underestimated this crowd." 4) **The Reset Button** - "Let's pretend that last 5 minutes didn't happen... much like my father pretended I didn't happen." 5) **The Walk-Off Save** - "I've been told my time is up... by the audience, just now, with their faces." Pro Tip: Always end with "I'll be here all week... unless tonight's reviews are as bad as I think they'll be." On-Stage Line: "They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger... which explains why I can bench press a heckler's self-esteem." SOURCE: http://comedywriter.info