Writer's Block of Epic Proportions - Break Through It!

Hey kids!  What do you do when you have writers block?

As much as I love my old material, and as much as I love hosting and crowd work, it's not conducive to cranking out and polishing some tight new stuff.  So the time comes where one must write one's little fingers off and hone some jokes to razor-sharp points. 

So - how to begin?  After having plenty of bouts of this, I've come up with some things that work - whether for me or for my creative friends - hope this can help you on your comedic quests.

Lather, Rinse, Repeat.  What about dusting off old jokes? I had some good ideas when I started out, but wasn't the best editor in the world.  Some of that stuff is funny and deserves a second glance.

Record it!  I know I've been riffing some neat stuff at the mics.  Sometimes - magic!  I often take notes afterwards (that say, in deepest secret code that no one can read, WRITE THAT), so I can need to commit to things that seem to be working.  Writing notes is my style - lots and lots of people prefer to videotape or even record audio. 

Stimulus, Response.  Go watch a lot of comedy.  DO NOT COPY PEOPLE.  Perhaps it's a comic whose style you admire, a Comedy Central special, or just a good downtown show.  Watching standup - at least for me - gets me analyzing and thinking my own process.  Perhaps it will inspire you and shake some jokes loose.

Group Think.  Write with a partner? Write with a group?  This is a great help to many folks.

Classy.  For me, the combination of forced interaction and deadlines helps - every so often, I'll sign up for a class or workshop to get me creatively moving.

Nike said it.  How about getting off your fat lazy butt and just writing? Oh yeah....that.