Fine-Tuning Your Funny Muscle: How to Practice Creating Laughs Like a Pro

by Mike Lukas, Michael Jon Lukas

“The blueprint for how to be funny.” - Charna Halpern, author of TRUTH IN COMEDY & ART BY COMMITTEE“Deceptively simple techniques.” - Kelly Leonard, The Second City (Exec. VP, President of Theatricals)“A must-read for anyone looking to upgrade their humor game.” - Peter McGraw, coauthor of THE HUMOR CODE ________________________When a joke flops…It hurts.Nothing beats getting big, genuine laughs from a room full of people.But when a joke doesn’t land, your confidence takes a hit, and it feels like you’ve let everybody down.Figuring out why a joke didn't work and trying again is what makes you funnier.You could try grinding it out on your own, hoping you’ll get lucky.Or you could get serious about your humor.With a career spanning a quarter of a century, veteran comedian and comedy coach Mike Lukas (Tonight Show, Comedy Central, Second City, CBS Radio) strips comedy down to the bone.Here in Fine-tuning Your Funny Muscle (book two of the Funny Muscle series), veteran comedian Mike Lukas (NBC, Comedy Central, A&E, CBS Radio, Second City) dives deeper into all those joke-writing concepts from book one and fine-tunes them for you, one by one.First up, Mike talks more about discovering your own Comedy Lens and how having one can keep you from becoming a generic “Corner Quipper.” He gives you some above-the-net suggestions for how to clarify your own lens as well as provides examples of some famous Comedy Lenses you may have heard of to help guide you.Then Lukas dives deeper into the humor blueprint. Meaning, he slow-walks you through all the steps pro comics take to create a list of potential laughs they can choose from for their act. He uses the blueprint to break down one of his standup jokes that he heightens repeatedly in the following section.Finally comes the meat of book two, which is where Mike goes over all thirty-six humor heightening devices in depth.You’ll see how some pros use these same devices in various jokes of theirs. Then Mike applies each device to the joke he wrote in chapter one so you can better see how they work to create laughs from scratch.Otherwise, you’re just giving a dang speech.At the end of the book, Mike turns that same joke he's heightened into a short standup routine to demonstrate how the laughs that come out of this process can be used to create performable material. This becomes something that you can then practice on your own to grow funnier over time.To help with that, Mike also includes a glossary as well as a printable list of all thirty-six Humor Heightening Devices so you can use them wherever you do your writing.Plus, be sure to read how to Create Laughs with These 5 Funny Muscle Flexes. These strategies opened his mind to all the creative possibilities he’d been overlooking.Lukas also includes the story of his second Tonight Show appearance filled with mindf**ks galore.Whether you’re an aspiring comedian a few open mics in, or a headliner with an ‘itch’ to make it big, Fine-tuning Your Funny Muscle reveals the hard-won you can learn to be funnier.Time to get your deep dive started.

234 pages, Paperback

Published November 10, 2023

Reviews

[Moona · Rating 5 out of 5]

In "Fine-Tuning Your Funny Muscle," comedian and comedy coach Mike Lukas provides invaluable insights into the art of creating laughter. Drawing on his extensive experience in the comedy world, Lukas offers deceptively simple techniques to help aspiring comedians sharpen their wit and hone their comedic skills. From understanding the nuances of joke-writing to mastering humor heightening devices, Lukas guides readers through a comprehensive journey towards becoming funnier. Through practical examples, humor blueprints, and personal anecdotes, Lukas demystifies the process of comedy creation, empowering readers to craft jokes that genuinely resonate with audiences. Whether you're a beginner comedian or an experienced performer looking to elevate your act, "Fine-Tuning Your Funny Muscle" is an essential resource for anyone seeking to master the art of laughter.

[Jeffrey A. Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back to the Comedy Gym!

More than just a follow up to the first book in the Funny Muscle series, Fine-tuning Your Funny Muscle is the perfect comedy workout for snyone who is already in great getting in great comedy shape after surviving Personal Trainer Mike's previous session in the comedy gym. This book not only goes into deeper detail about the myriad formulas, devices and techniques laid out in its precursor, but also offers sage advice and insight that will only resonate with an aspring funny person who already knows the basics and has a big enough frame of reference with which to relate to the comedy industry wisdom Mike is trying to impart. I've been a professional comedian for almost 40 years and can hardly wait until the third book is realeased. If stand-up instruction like this existed back when I started my career, Mike would be reading MY books now.

[Jeff Wait · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome resource for creating material. Once you have your premise, Mike will show you over 30 different ways to make it funny. Highly recommend for improving your joke-writing quality and quantity.