Article: Sometimes you have a skit idea that just comes to you out of nowhere, other times, you have to go searching for an idea. Gather inspiration for your skit by watching and reading other comedy sketches. You can go onto YouTube and watch videos of sketches which are produced both professionally, and in an amateur sense.  Watch sketches by Key & Peele, SNL, W/ Bob and David, and Monty Python to gather inspiration. Take note on what these professional sketches have in common. What separates these sketches from other ones? When watching other sketches or skits, think about what makes the one you're watching original. You don’t want to copy a skit you’ve seen before, but you may be able to find a new angle. Pay attention to what’s happening around you. A lot of the best skits work because there is a relatable component in the sketch that makes us think of our own lives. Pay attention to how people around you interact with one another. Look for real life scenarios that are funny to you. Write down a bunch of ideas. You can do this with a group of people who are going to be working on the skit, by yourself, or both. Grab a notebook that you can carry around with you and jot down ideas as new ones come to you.  If you encounter a funny interaction between people, that might be a great starting idea for a skit. For example, you witness someone at a coffee shop ordering an overly complicated drink and holding up the line. Write down what happened and why you think there might be humor in this situation. Maybe the idea of ordering such a complicated coffee is funny to you. Meet with your group and share ideas. It’s good If you have a place to write your ideas down so everyone can see each idea. Otherwise, designate someone to write each idea down in a notebook. Don’t censor your ideas right now. At this stage, you just want to get everything out. You may find that one silly idea turns into something great. If you laugh at an idea, make a note that you thought it was funny. Ask yourself why you’re laughing. Is it something visual about the idea? A certain word or words? Or maybe it’s because the idea is relatable to your own life. Knowing why something made you laugh will be helpful when building out your skit and ultimately performing it. Think about what kind of skit you may want to do. There are a number of types of skits and sketches from parody and satire, to character sketches and even absurdist sketches. Every successful skit or sketch has a solid point of view (POV) that can be easily identified. It’s the same principal as having a thesis statement in a paper. Your POV should be easy for people to understand. A POV is the lens in which viewers of your skit see the world as you see it. In a sketch, this can be blown up for comical effect.  A POV is your opinion expressed as a fact. You can discover your point of view through a couple steps. First, you see someone order an overly complicated drink at a coffee shop. Second, you decide to write a skit about people ordering complicated drinks at a coffee shop. Each drink that a new person in your skit orders is more complicated and ridiculous than the one before it. Third, you reach your point of view, which is that people are becoming too obsessed with unnecessary options and materialism. Your point of view isn’t expressed by one character in your skit complaining about someone ordering an overly complicated drink. It’s expressed by the action that takes place in your skit. Having a clear point of view and expressing it as a fact is a great way to make any skit more original. Even if the content of the skit has been done before, it’s original enough because it comes from you. Every story, no matter how short needs a beginning, middle, and end. When writing a skit try and map out these three different sections.  Since skits are usually comedic in nature, your beginning can depict normal, everyday life. People at a coffee shop waiting in line to order coffee is normal. The middle of your sketch happens when something out of the norm occurs. People start ordering crazier drinks than the person before. The end of your skit is when there’s a climax and resolution. Perhaps the barista decides to dump everyone’s coffee on the ground. Or maybe the barista snaps and takes out a weapon and steals the money from the cash register.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Gather inspiration. Brainstorm ideas. Develop your point of view. Outline a beginning, middle, and end.