Through her work on television and social media, American comedian and author Megan Amram has made a big impact on the comedy industry. For aspiring writers and comedians, her insights into the craft of crafting stories and jokes are especially instructive.
Amram's comment draws attention to an important part of comedy that many novices overlook: while coming up with catchy one-liners is vital, it's just as important to gain a thorough understanding of character development and storytelling techniques. This viewpoint stems from her work as a professional television writer and social media personality, where she developed her abilities in a variety of comedy writing genres.
Imagine constructing a house entirely out of bricks without any additional supplies or building expertise; the end product would be unsteady and lacking. In a similar vein, if you write jokes without knowing how to combine them into a coherent story and interesting characters, your comedy may come across as fragmented and less powerful.
This point is highlighted by Amram's journey from tweeting amusing observations to becoming a television writer. She highlights that she has learned important lessons about the intricacies of storytelling from her work in television that would have been challenging to understand through independent study alone. In addition to crafting unique jokes, television writers must also develop characters over several episodes while ensuring coherence between various scenes and plot points.
Amram urges aspiring comedy writers to look for opportunities for varied training and education in their craft rather than focusing on just one area of the industry by sharing her experiences. Her advice is especially pertinent in the current digital era, where creating jokes quickly on sites like Twitter can provide instant gratification, but it might not offer the same depth of learning as working with others to create long-form content.
In conclusion, Megan Amram's viewpoint clarifies the complexity of comedy writing and the value of developing a wide range of abilities to produce powerful, well-rounded comedic material.