Sterling Terrell

smart ideas from books (mostly)

  • Home
  • About
    • My CV
    • Books
    • Series
  • Newsletter
  • Advertising
  • Tools

A Needle In A Haystack, Not A Haystack

A Needle In A Haystack, Not A Haystack

One wants to be a needle in a haystack, not a haystack.

Success is about standing out, not fitting in.

It’s true, though…

You can’t expect a better outcome than everyone else – while doing the same thing that everyone else is doing.

Outsized outcomes usually require outsized efforts, or, a bit of luck.

Boy, I loved this show when it was out.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Not BooksTagged With: #Marketing, #Video

Unique Comedy

Unique Comedy

Unique comedy has its place, with people who know how to do it well (like Steve Martin).

But I think most comedy fits a template like this for a reason.

The audience wants to know where the joke is headed. They want to see it coming. They anticipate the punchline. They revel in the suspense. And they rejoice when that tension releases.

If you think about it, a joke is nothing more than a short story.

And stories most definitely have a template.

I get though, in Steve’s case here.

To be unique is to stand out. Plain and simple, it separates you from the pack.

It’s memorable.

And don’t we all want to be remembered?

These notions stayed with me for months, until they formed an idea that revolutionized my comic direction: What if there were no punch lines? What if there were no indicators? What if I created tension and never released it? What if I headed for a climax, but all I delivered was an anticlimax? What would the audience do with all that tension? Theoretically, it would have to come out sometime. But if I kept denying them the formality of a punch line, the audience would eventually pick their own place to laugh, essentially out of desperation. This type of laugh seemed stronger to me, as they would be laughing at something they chose, rather than being told exactly when to laugh.

-Steve Martin, Born Standing Up (Amazon)

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: PotpourriTagged With: #Comedy, #Marketing

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 18
  • Next Page »

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Notifications of all new posts by email.

Connect

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Search

Top Posts

  • The Tricky Lily Pad Riddle (You Probably Can't Solve)
    The Tricky Lily Pad Riddle (You Probably Can't Solve)
  • Instabooks 345
    Instabooks 345
  • Keep People Guessing By?
    Keep People Guessing By?
  • I Just Turned 41: Here Are 20 Things I Learned In The Last Year
    I Just Turned 41: Here Are 20 Things I Learned In The Last Year
  • How To Ask If She Is A Call Girl
    How To Ask If She Is A Call Girl
  • Instabooks 326
    Instabooks 326
  • The Tragedy Of Gina "Bronco" Bouza (1932-1957)
    The Tragedy Of Gina "Bronco" Bouza (1932-1957)
  • The Simple Joy Of Elevator Buttons
    The Simple Joy Of Elevator Buttons
  • God Gives Job Double Everything, Except This?
    God Gives Job Double Everything, Except This?
  • Can You Solve The Bat And Ball Riddle?
    Can You Solve The Bat And Ball Riddle?

Supporting = Loving

Buy Me a Coffee

Recent Posts

  • Where Did I Set My iPhone
  • Cold And Limp And All Of The
  • Random Thoughts – 375
  • King Of Love, By: I Am They
  • The Point Of Learning
  • Instabooks 371
  • A Dopamine Hit Just One
  • Random Thoughts – 374
  • A Leaders Necessary Exposure To Risk
  • The Compulsion To Read
  • Instabooks 370
  • With Tea Looking Out Of That
  • Random Thoughts – 373
  • Stayed Up All Night
  • Missed Internet Mania
  • Tenderloin, San Francisco
  • And That All This Is A Pause
  • Random Thoughts – 372
  • 100 Things That Made My Year – 2022
  • On Selling Popcorn
  • Instabooks 369
  • Solemn Week With My Parents
  • Random Thoughts – 371
  • Handle A Serious Interview
  • Instabooks 368

Copyright © 2023 · Generate Pro On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in