What are your goals for this year?

[JManderville]

..

[SeanX3]

Yeah, I want to make everything a story as well, though I think that's not a problem if you do it right. On the other hand I don't know that I have the chops as of yet to do it right.

I've actually sort of had a lingering thought that what I actually want to do isn't exactly stand-up so much as funny memoir-ish one-man show-esque stuff. David Sedaris-esque stuff. I'm not sure what I'm actually doing ends up really being stand-up comedy a lot of the time. But that's sort of another issue for another (as of yet uncreated) thread.

Whatever you end up doing, I'd imagine any kind of stage time would be good for you, and stand-up skills couldn't hurt, right? If you're feeling pressured to do set-up/punchline stuff, ignore that pressure. Do what feels right for you.

But even with longer form stuff, you'll still need to establish credibility within the first few seconds—again, open-mic-ing won't hurt.

I just don't think that do to X you first should only do lots of mini-xs. Doing stuff in the same vicinity — Vs, Ws, Ys, and Zs — is going to help you out too. Think of the way learning music has all kinds of benefits for learning languages, math, and ensemble listening skills.

[thisbetterwork]

Whatever you end up doing, I'd imagine any kind of stage time would be good for you, and stand-up skills couldn't hurt, right? If you're feeling pressured to do set-up/punchline stuff, ignore that pressure. Do what feels right for you.

But even with longer form stuff, you'll still need to establish credibility within the first few seconds—again, open-mic-ing won't hurt.

I just don't think that do to X you first should only do lots of mini-xs. Doing stuff in the same vicinity — Vs, Ws, Ys, and Zs — is going to help you out too. Think of the way learning music has all kinds of benefits for learning languages, math, and ensemble listening skills.

Yeah - I think I'm well off to get more stage time. I guess the hassle is that I feel like there are rooms that just don't much like me and a lot of it might be I'm just not that great as of yet but I've had at least one guy who ran an open mic seem a bit confounded as to what I was even trying to do.

That being said, I'm gonna keep on keeping on.

[FF Woodycooks]

GOALZ:
1. Perform at least 120 times, and at least twice a week barring extreme illness and holidays.
2. Develop a "solid" ten minutes (ie ten minutes of jokes that work at least fairly consistently and that I don't hate)
3. Stop relying on notes so much.

[Vercetti]

GOALZ:
1. Perform at least 120 times, and at least twice a week barring extreme illness and holidays.

If you're ill at all, even a little, you oughta stay home altogether. Dedication is good and all but keep in mind others are gonna be using the mic that you're breathing your germs on.

Do what I do, get gooned on Nyquil, stay home and write.

[FF Woodycooks]

Good point. The Austin scene recently experienced a small epidemic that was blamed on a contaminated mic.

[JayP7]

2011:

1. Continue to perform 1-2 nights a week (plus improv), maybe add another night or two
2. Get car fixed
3. Use fixed car to hit Boston/ New York gigs more often
4. Get a solid plan for moving to a city where I can perform any and every night of the week within (from right now) the next year or two. Boston's most likely, but I'm not ruling out NY/Chi/LA immediately.

[pg13]

If you're ill at all, even a little, you oughta stay home altogether. Dedication is good and all but keep in mind others are gonna be using the mic that you're breathing your germs on.

I disagree, somewhat.

Nobody that's going to pay you to be somewhere and perform comedy is going to care that you're sick. They're not going to take a last minute call from you saying that you're not feeling well and accept the burden of finding a replacement for you based on that...

"The show must go on" and all that.

So, not allowing yourself to too easily claim sickness as your reason for not performing might be a good thing to get used to...and learning how to perform at your best even when you're not feeling your best might be a very good thing to practice.

pg--Finds that the adrenalin burst of performance often helps him feel, if only temporarily, much better--seattle

PS--But, yes, certainly...if you're contagious and aren't booked to perform, stay home. And for Flying Spaghetti Monster's sake, don't do that bit where you rub the microphone all over your nose and mouth...

[Vercetti]

Oh yeah, if it's a paying gig, that's different. Gotta truck through and be a pro and all that. But if it's a mic where a couple dozen or more people are passing through then it's okay to "call in", so to speak.

Good point. The Austin scene recently experienced a small epidemic that was blamed on a contaminated mic.

Yeouch! I'm all about keeping Austin weird but you gotta keep Austin healthy too. Har Har get it? (sorry)

Actually another bonus goal is to check out the Austin scene as I've heard good things.

[SoSure]

Do more, do better.

I'm opening for a band on Saturday, and I'm getting a cut of the door money, which are both firsts. That probably falls under, "do more." Pretty damn thrilled about the opportunity.

[Urine]

1. Avoid girls and start doing stand-up around Pittsburgh before I turn 18 (so that my jokes about being a underage virgin loser don't have to go in the trash.)
2. Not get arrested again.
3. Try not to die.

[crlygrl]

4. Change username

(There are good writing and performing opportunities in PGH. I think Filmakers has something going on comedy-wise.)

[funkyrhino]

meet more big booty female comedians.

[drieux]

re: performing sick. I don't get sick often, but I do usually carry a small jar of mouthwash and hand sanitizer in my manbag, and after performing I'll find a moment to run to the bathroom and swish out my mouth and I use the hand sanitizer somewhat regularly - enough to kill a few germs, not so much that I look like a mental patient.

I'm sure nobody on AST would be an example, but there are plenty of dirty degenerates with terrible hygiene who blather into the same mic we do; I'm not a clean freak but I prefer not to be breathing in their toxic Five-O-Clock whiskey fumes and herpes residue.

Another option is to drink heavily. Booze kills everything. But if you're just open micing, do everybody a favor, contact the host/showrunner and take the night off.

[Vercetti]

meet more big booty female comedians.

Man, you'd LOVE Houston.

[Phil]

Goals for 2011....

1. Learn to edit, not just write a bit and be done with it. Take out lines that don't work, add in new lines that do work, add tags. I had this goal in 2010 but failed.

2. Continue finding my voice. Nuff said. I had this goal in 2010 and succeeded. I'll have this goal in 2012 as well. It's a fun process.

3. Publish my book. I got a book deal for a humor book! My publisher wants the final manuscript by June. Let's git er done!

4. Author a humor blog. Or maybe publish something in The Onion.

[lorianddori]

I want to keep being a genius. maintain my gut so the audience doesn't get to intimitated by my good looks and dismiss me as just another pretty boy. Make someone laugh so hard that they start coughing blood. Keep not giving a fuck. Write more jokes about poop and never let myself become embarassed about being a thirty year old who still says poop. Keep working on my doctorate because education is key.

[Dannyparty]

Goals for 2011

Move to a better market.

Get a solid 30.

Make my podcast better.

Make it into a comedy contest.

[nixonjames]

I feel like my goals change by the day... one day I want to get into a fest in TX as an excuse to go home. Another I just want to do 3 open mics and 1 booked show a week. Then I want to write 10 topical/relatable one-liners/day. Then I want to just focus on writing, finish a spec script on my TV projects.

Fuck all this goal shit.
I'm going to get on stage and talk about what matters, is important, and we'll see if we can't make it funny.
/diatribe.

[Vercetti]

One big thing is that I want to write and finish a writing project of some sort. Today I'm gonna give this "morning pages" thing a whirl and see what happens with it. I predict a lot of drivel. And potty words.