How to Get Ideas by Jack Foster

In his book “How to get Ideas”, Jack Foster tells us that there are five steps to getting ideas.

These steps are:

1. Define the Problem
2. Gather the Information
3. Search for the Idea
4. Forget About It
5. Put the Idea into Action

Now his book is excellent and I would recommend you read it just to get a better understanding of how I adapted these steps to serve our comedy writing needs.

Specifically that I added a step. One that ideally happens even before you start the process: The need for an idea.

A quick note

A quick note before we dive in: If you think of a joke or a Joke Idea at any point during the process: Write it down. Just because you aren’t in the “Search for the Idea” phase doesn’t mean you shouldn’t jot it down. The same goes for when you are out and about and a funny thought pops into your head:

Write it down.

It doesn’t matter if it’s in a notebook or in your phone or if you leave yourself a voice message but PLEASE make a note of it. I guarantee you, you will forget the joke if you don’t make a note of it. And it will haunt you. And although it probably wasn’t the best joke you ever had, it will be highly annoying to have forgotten it, because it may very well have been the best joke you will ever think of!

SUMMARY TIME

Another one. I know. But can you tell me the two definitions of Idea? You have one minute to answer!

Go! Go! Go!

Why are you still reading? Now you only have 50 seconds left…And because you are STILL reading now you also have to explain to me why we sometimes laugh several times even though it’s the SAME joke.

And while we’re at it: Can you tell me the Formula? You have about 30 seconds left…