Wendy Liebman is one of the funniest comedians and best joke writers out there. She has appeared on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Comedy Central's Pulp Comics, HBO's Half Hour Comedy Special, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and The Late Show with David Letterman.

When did you first realize that you were uniquely funny?

I was seven or eight. I was doing a skit in our basement with my sister, and I was playing the part of a stereotypical Jewish mother. The audience was howling. I couldn't catch my breath. It was a flashbulb moment. I was wearing a lime green dress.

Who do you think were your influences?

Woody Allen, Lily Tomlin, Cher, Steve Martin, David Letterman, Garry Shandling, Johnny Carson, Lucille Ball, Joan Rivers, Elayne Boosler, Rita Rudner, Jonathan Katz, Bill Braudis, Kevin Meaney.

Do you remember your first original joke?

I was trying to enroll in a creative writing class in college, but the teacher didn't accept me. Someone asked me if I was going to write anyway, and I said I wasn't even going to write checks. That became the joke: “I'm a writer. I write checks. They're mostly fiction.”

When did you realize that comedy was something you had to do for a living?

When I started making more money doing comedy than I was making at my day job (administrative assistant).

What was your first job in comedy writing or performance?

I was hired to do five minutes at the International Pub in Revere, Massachusetts, in 1985, a year after I started performing. The other comedians on the show were Zito and Bean. There were like eight people in the pub, and they were playing pool. But it was the first time I was paid to tell jokes that I had made up. The promoter, Joe Amagrasso, handed me an envelope with twenty-five singles in it, and it felt like (I imagine) a drug deal going down.

What is the biggest difficulty you've encountered being a comedy writer?

I'm not as prolific as I wish I were. Also, sometimes I'll have a really funny thought but I'm too lazy to write it down, and then the thought is lost forever.

Are there jokes that you do “just for you?”

Not as much anymore. But I do remember dropping a joke that didn't quite work (“I gave up drinking for rent”), and then starting it again after another comedian said he missed it. So I guess I do that joke just for him.

What are the differences between writing for yourself and writing for others?

I've been hired by two people to write jokes (one comedian and one singer — but I signed contracts so I can't say who), and I have to say it's easier. I don't know why. The singer asked me to “make up a true story.” I'm not kidding you.

What would be your “dream job” as a comedy writer?

I would love to do punch-up on movies.

Were there difficulties being a woman in a predominately male industry? How did you overcome that?

This is my opinion. People are happy when they find a funny woman, because it is rarer. If you're a woman in comedy, you have a great career ahead of you.

What do you find exciting about comedy right now?

It's a way to talk about hypocrisy and pain without bumming someone out.

Where do you think the future of comedy is headed?

The sky is the limit. (Did I just use a cliché?)

What is the best thing about being a comedy writer?

I am paid to make things up. I can make someone laugh.

Do you have any advice for up-and-coming comedy writers?

Nothing replaces experience. So just write. All the time. You'll be amazed what comes out of your head.