Comedy Writing Tip #11: The Art of the Callback - How to Make Your Set Feel Like a Masterpiece

The callback is comedy's greatest weapon - here's how to wield it: 1) **The Classic Echo** - Reference an earlier joke exactly: "Remember when I said I was bad at relationships? Well..." 2) **The Reverse Callback** - Set up a joke now, pay it off later: "I'll explain why that's funny in about 10 minutes..." 3) **The Running Gag** - "This is joke #3 about my divorce... which is still fewer times than my ex brought it up in court." 4) **The Audience Callback** - "Earlier when Dave laughed at the sex joke... yeah, we all know what that means, Dave." 5) **The Meta Callback** - "This callback would work better if you'd laughed at the original joke." Pro Tip: Plant callback seeds early - your future self will thank you during that brutal Wednesday night set. On-Stage Line: "They say comedy is all about timing... which explains why I'm 35, single, and still doing open mics." SOURCE: http://comedywriter.info