Look through your notebook and the previous exercises for jokes that can work in a stand-up environment. When you're working on your first set, it might be a good idea to just stick to one or two topics, unless your style dictates otherwise.

You don't want to be all over the place, trying to cram all your ideas and all your jokes into a short set. You'll end up with a big mess that doesn't do you or your jokes justice. The clearer you are, the better. Your goal should be to get some laughs, gain some confidence on stage, and learn from your mistakes. You want to build on your successes from set to set; don't think you can do it all on your first shot.

Look at the lists you've made. Let's say that you have a line about your dog. It's just a funny one-liner that doesn't really go anywhere else. If you say a line and it just hangs there, it might get a laugh, but it might leave the audience asking themselves “and …?” That can be a speed bump in your set. Things are going well and then you just hit a wall with a joke that leaves the audience expecting more.

This is where your lists can come in handy. Make a list of every fact you can think of about dogs and do what you did before, use those facts as setups for punch lines. Do this with your original dog line in mind. Hopefully, you'll come up with one or two more dog jokes or a segue that naturally leads to another topic. For example, after your dog line you could say, “My parents never let me have a dog when I was a kid, they were very strict … “or “My girlfriend is afraid of dogs….”

Another good place to look for material is the list of daily activities and annoyances that you came up with in Chapter 4. Look for small topics the audience can relate to or things about yourself that will draw the audience in.