I’ve been teaching satire writing for a few months now through @SecondCityChiTC & I’ve been writing satire for awhile. I often find myself giving the same advice, so I thought I’d collect some of it here, in one

First, writing satire well takes time. Sure, a few folks come ready & amazing out the gate! It takes time to build that muscle. I wrote some mean/unfunny things when I first started & while I feel bad that my instructor ( @theillustrious) was subjected to them, I had to learn.

Give yourself time & a lot of practice! Read excellent humor every day! We are lucky to live in a time where @mcsweeneys publishes great stuff daily so do @SlackjawHumor & @The_Belladonnas & @WeeklyHumorist & @tnyshouts! Read a lot of humor! It helps.

It also helps you learn the voice of sites you want to contribute to! Which is a good thing to know. Also: learn the rules for submissions & follow them. And for the last time, I’m sorry, The Onion/ClickHole/Reductress do not take your pieces any time — they have a process.

Find people whose work you like & notice their voice. I think @theillustrious @KunkelTron @harmonopoly @originalspinstr @ShannonJCurtin @EmilyFlake @DevorahBlachor all write incredible stuff! I read them a lot! @shadesofgreaves is a machine whose topical comedy can’t be beat!

Find friends who also write & start trading work. Accept feedback! Be coachable! Sometimes, things we think are funny or our friends/parents/colleagues laugh at aren’t funny to the general world. And writing satire is different than stand up or being the funny guy at work.

Figure out the game of your piece: what are you satirizing? How are you doing it? What is the method? Then, do it. Cut stuff that doesn’t align! Escalate it! Make it absurd!

Do not punch down. Just don’t? Like don’t think about it. If it’s a joke you wouldn’t make with the target in the room, don’t write it. It’s not stand up. We cannot hear your tone. Please stop. Even if it’s the funniest thing in your mind. It’s not gonna work the way you think.

But mostly: keep at it. Write headlines & weird shit. Write down the ideas you have at 2 AM or when you’re walking your dog. When news comes out, practice finding funny, unique takes & experiment. Also? Have fun. Enjoy it! Satire is fun! It’s funny! Have a good time!

When you’re ready, start submitting. If you get a bunch of rejections, give yourself some time off & read a lot of humor, watch funny things & serious things, & read other stuff. Take the pressure off. Most folks submit a lot before a publication! It’s okay!

Take in other forms & let it fuel you. Take notes of specific things in funny moments. The specificity that leads to universal truth is what can really make pieces pop.