Freelance Comedy Writer

I am now developing myself into a freelance writer and stay at home humorist. Not that I am abandoning the performing, but looking after a baby right now you take opportunities where you can.

Back in August, I signed up with a couple of freelance writing sites (Elance and oDesk, specifically). So far the couple of jobs I’ve had have come via oDesk. The first was adding some humorous lines to someone’s memoir that focused on his childhood. I can’t really talk more than that, but it’s a project which has yet to be completed or published. Sorry to sound all mysterious. It was a fun, but tough project (the content was quite heavy-going) but that was the first freelancing I got paid for in a long time. In the past I have sold material to a topical sketch show in England.

Recently, I began submitting jokes, they’re more anecdotal really, to another site.  To use baseball terminology, thanks to my wife for help in that area, I am 3/3 in at-bats. This means, every time I’ve sent them something they’ve accepted something. You don’t have to hit a home run every time. The first anecdote I submitted, cultural differences, was accepted. Which means I hit a home run my first time “at the plate”.

Apparently most batters dream of hitting 50%. Hitting .500 means you hit once, every two times you are pitched to. A .300 is a good batting average.  This analogy kind of makes sense to me. If I knew cricket, I’d use that instead. But I don’t do sports.

Having written this is like having written ancient Aramaic.

Anyway, check out their site if you get the chance, “Smiles for All”*Their mission is a nice one; “to spread smiles and laughter, one person at a time, through funny true stories and playfulness.”

*Update April 30th 2022 – it would seem the website has gone, or is down temporarily.

New Adventures in Comedy

Blackadder: Where have you been Flash?
Lord Flashheart: Where haven’t I been?

Wow, has it really been three years since I updated this blog? Why have I been away? Well, in short, I felt I was spending too much time talking about humor and comedy rather than doing it. Hence the three year absence from posting. However, I do love talking about comedy and so I missed blogging about it.

I also was moving towards presentation skills coaching and training, and while I am able to do that, it doesn’t make my heart sing. So I had to be really honest with myself and get back to what it was that I really enjoyed and that was comedy. Both writing and performing it.

Can you summarize the last three years, creatively, in less than 30 seconds?
Continue reading

How to Improve Presentation Skills workshop – The University of Chicago

Back at the end of May I did a how to improve presentation skills workshop for the University of Chicago. I enjoyed it for the most part, but there were a couple of things I hadn’t anticipated. I liaised with my contact and got clarification about the time available and I explained how long my workshop was. But for some reason there was still a  mis-communication between us… Continue reading

Toastmasters in the U.S.

I wanted to write about my experiences of Toastmasters in the U.S. compared with my experiences with it in the U.K. While the main focus will be geared towards fellow Toastmasters, I will try provide useful information for the non-member too.

The great thing about Toastmasters is that essentially you can pretty much go to any meeting around the world and find like-minded people. Not only that, but there is also a lot of familiarity as the vast majority of roles are the same. So if you do go to a Toastmasters event in another city or country, like I did, then there is a sense of comfort in that public speaking culture. Continue reading

America-phile – Life Across the Pond

Hello, hey, bonjour, ciao… alright?

I can’t believe that it’s been eight months
since I’ve written a post on here. Wowsers
trousers. A LOT has changed! As some of my friends and regular readers know in September 2009 I emigrated to the United States of America to marry my long term American girlfriend.

I’m going to catch you up on the things that I’ve been involved with and I provide you with ten tips and food for thought along the way. They’re not all focused on techniques for using humour in presentations. They’re  more goal setting and getting work oriented.

This blog has been offline ever since because, in the past, I have made some commission off affiliate products that I have promoted. In December 2009 new FTC rules came in to force stating that all bloggers and other affiliate marketers have to be explicit about the products that they promote to their readers. Continue reading