Trying stand-up comedy is a great idea for those who’re trying to challenge themselves to do something new, whilst having fun in the process. It may be unlikely that those who’ve never considered it will jump at the opportunity, but those who have at least imagined themselves on stage should try and act on their desire to make people laugh.

One of the brilliant things about stand-up is that you can take it as seriously as you want. If you’re looking for a full-time commitment, then there’s plenty in the world of comedy to keep you busy all day, every day. If you just want to jump in and out of performing every so often, then that’s a possibility too.

There’s hundreds of open mic nights throughout the UK, where you can get on stage for the first time once you’ve written material, although some of these are easier to find than others. If you live in a busy city, then the easiest way to find a night is simply to walk around one evening and keep your eyes opened. If not, then check out Open Mic Finder to find events within travelling distance, but it may be worth contacting the venue directly as well, just in case the site hasn’t been updated recently and they no longer run the night.

To give you a bit of a helping hand, here’s our favourite nights for beginners:

Beat the Frog – Frog & Bucket, Manchester
Beat the Frog is a gong show that takes place every Monday at the award winning Frog & Bucket in Manchester. A gong show is the same as an open mic, except the audience will be given the opportunity to ‘vote’ each comedian of stage if they’re not pulling their weight – think Britain’s got Talent, but on a lower budget. Beat the Frog is not as cruel as some other gong shows though and there’s a good chance you’ll make it to the end of your 5 minute set if you’re not totally bombing.

Red Raw – The Stand Comedy Club, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow
Now one of the country’s most respected names, The Stand Comedy Club has grown from a regular venue in Edinburgh to a chain of brilliant clubs across the North of England and Scotland. Their open spot night Red Raw has a long waiting list, but is worth applying for anyway. The crowd is often friendly and forgiving as many comedians make their stage debut at the night.

There’s many reasons why people decide to try standup comedy – a desire to make people laugh, a way to turn your problems into something enjoyable – but whatever your inspiration, there’s a few things you should keep in mind.

Writing and performing are both important
As a spectator it’s easy to be fooled into thinking that comedians go up on stage, tell some jokes and leave. As a performer, it’s important to remember that this is actually a very small part of the job. The reality of stand-up comedy is that more hours go into writing than anything else – otherwise, you’d have no material to deliver.

It’s important to make sure you’re writing original material whenever you can. A solid five minute set will be enough for your first open mic, but that doesn’t mean the first five minutes of stuff you write. The more you write, the better you will become. The phrase ‘practice makes perfect’ may be a cliché but it rings true in the stand-up industry.

I find it helps to set myself a schedule of writing time at the beginning of each week and stick to it no matter what. During my day-to-day life I make notes of ideas and thoughts that I think have potential and then I’ll expand on them during those dedicated hours. For me, stand-up is still a hobby on the side and is something that I have to work around university, so my writing schedule often consists of two big sessions of around 4 hours at the weekend and then the odd hour throughout the week. I find this is enough for me to have a new 10 minutes of material that I’m confident in by the end of every month.

Check out Jerry Seinfeld’s interview with The New York Times if you want some writing tips from a true comedy legend:

Remember that everybody bombs
This is possibly the most important thing that a beginner comedian needs to know. Many people use a fear of bombing as an excuse to put off their first time on stage, but there’s no need to. Simply put, everybody bombs. Even the most established comedians will have terrible sets when trying out new material in small clubs. Unfortunately, there is only one way to find out whether a joke works in front of a live audience or not – and it’s the hard way.

If you go on stage for the first time and a joke falls flat, or you’re unhappy with how it went, then don’t let this phase you. Take this reaction as the best feedback you’ll get during your time as a comedian and use it to change or drop what you’ve got until you’re getting the laughs you think you should be.

The first time I bombed was at a venue I’d never set foot in before. I went on stage with around 5 minutes of material I’d tested at another, very different bar in the few weeks before. I quickly learnt that some things aren’t going to work for everybody and used my time to play around with my existing set to try and get the audience back on my side. I wasn’t entirely lucky, but I finished the night with some new ideas under my belt at least.

Comedian Hannibal Buress went into great detail about the positives of bombing in a recent interview with Village Voice. It’s essential reading if you’re sure you want to give stand-up a whirl.

Keep performing, practice before and after and then perform some more.
If you want to take this even remotely seriously, then it’s important that you perform and practice as regularly as possible. Even if, like me, you live in a town with little to nothing in terms of live comedy, there’ll be somewhere you can get stage time. Music-centered open mics are usually happy to have stand-up comedians come and perform. Just find out who’s in charge and ask them before you go up and don’t be afraid to go back the next week with the same set.

It’s also important to get into the habit of practicing at home. If I’ve got a gig one night, I like to spend the day going through my delivery and timing. It may seem silly to think about, but reading your material aloud in front of a mirror can be a great help. Pretend the mirror’s an audience and you’ll get the rare chance to see how you look to other people, rather than how you think you’re coming across.

Performing to friends or housemates is another option but don’t be fooled into thinking you’ll get the same reaction in the same parts of your set during an actual gig. From my experience, friends are too kind and laugh just because they think they should, rather than because they’ve actually found something funny.

And one last thing: Have fun. That’s what comedy is for, after all.