As a writer, I’m good at what I do; awesome even. As a stand-up comic, I’ve got some potential; probably not enough to be epic.
In many ways, I fit the stereotype of a writer: I’m introverted, I like my cave, I read A LOT, and I generally find people exhausting. Additionally, I have many strong opinions that I can be very outgoing, and abrupt, about. However, I have this other part of me that wants to be more. More what? Good question.
A Writer on a Comic Path
I officially launched Tora Writing Services in 2013. By 2018 I knew I needed to push myself – specifically, my comfort zone. Around the same time, my friend, Randy Wight, declared that he was going to start an improv workshop: six weeks (or was it eight?) and then there would be a show.
As someone who considers public speaking a situation where you need to justify the ticket price, this was a great way to give my comfort zone some elasticity. I didn’t die. I was in the show. I even signed up for more workshops and did several more shows.
Then, towards the end of 2018, Randy announced that he was going to start a stand-up workshop.
Every particle in my body said, “Don’t you <insert any and all expletives here> dare!” Obviously, my comfort zone had not been stretched enough. So, I signed up.
I came up with a routine, I worked the heck out of it, and I did an open mic. Again, I didn’t die. I didn’t even throw up, which seemed much more likely. And, again, I signed up for more. I created a second routine and even did that once in front of an audience that wasn’t the comedy workshop.
And then COVID happened.
Workshops stopped. Improv eventually started up on Zoom; I, however, was not going to add any more Zoom time to my life. About halfway through COVID, my husband tore his rotator cuff, and I was doing very little of anything – let alone Zoom meetings – that did not involve helping him get better.
Towards the end of 2022, I started dreaming about my comedy routine.
Getting Back on Track
Thanks to the Worker’s Comp system, my husband was off work for over two years. Once he went back to work, I felt a bit at sixes and sevens (confused, in disarray). I knew, though, that I wanted to start up with comedy again. Not so much to stretch my comfort zone (even though that’s always a good idea), but because I enjoy it!
Luckily, Randy was just starting up another comedy workshop.
I got my first routine back together, refined it, and performed it a few times. I’m now working on a few different things while trying to balance the need for having the material down and being able to perform it like it was the first time – I always get more laughs the first time.
Do I plan to become a world-class comic? No. Heck, I’m having a hard time leaving the comfort of the only place I’ve performed. (Randy! Need some help here.) There is a reason I’m a writer.
Do I need to keep up with workshops, open mics, and the occasional variety show? Uh, YES! I’ve found that comedy lets me be that little bit more. It’s also a good place to burn off some of the extra sarcasm that likes to build up.
For the type of writing I do, I am an awesome writer. I am not, nor do I even want to be, an epic comic. So, to answer the original question: maybe, and it won’t be me.
– Lorrie Nicoles
