Study Guide: Alex for Standup Comics
Your personal reference for using Alex in comedy writing. Ready-to-run prompts for generating premises, punching up jokes, and developing material.
What This Guide Is Not
This is not a habit formation guide (see Self-Study Guide for that). This is a comedy writing toolkit — the specific ways Alex can help you develop material, and the prompts that work.
Core Principle for Comics
Alex will never write your act. It doesn’t have your voice, your timing, your persona, or your lived experiences. What it can do is help you generate more raw material, find angles you haven’t considered, identify weak spots in your bits, and pressure-test your premises.
The best comics use Alex like a tireless writing partner who never gets tired of spitballing, never judges, and never takes offense when you throw out 90% of what it generates.
The Six Use Cases
1. Premise Generation
When to use: When you need raw ideas. When you’re staring at a blank notebook. When life gives you an experience and you know there’s something there but can’t find it.
Prompt pattern:
I need premises about [topic/observation/experience].
Context: [any relevant details about your perspective, your audience, your style]
Give me 15 different angles on this:
- Unexpected observations
- Status reversals
- Comparisons that don't usually get made
- "What if" scenarios
- Things people think but don't say
- Times when the opposite is true
Don't write jokes yet — just premises I could develop.
Follow-up prompts:
Go weirder. The first batch was too obvious.
Now take premise #4 and give me 10 different directions it could go.
What's the premise that would make [type of audience] uncomfortable but laughing?
2. Punch-Up and Tag Writing
When to use: You have a bit that works but needs to hit harder. Or you have a laugh and want to stack more laughs after it.
Prompt pattern:
Here's a bit I'm working on:
[paste your joke/bit exactly as you perform it]
The laugh comes on: [identify where you're getting the laugh now]
Help me:
1. Write 5 tag lines that could extend the laugh
2. Find any missed opportunities in the setup for additional punches
3. Suggest callbacks to earlier in the bit
4. Identify if there's a bigger laugh hiding that I'm missing
Follow-up prompts:
The tags feel too similar. Give me ones with completely different angles.
What if I flipped the punchline and put it earlier? Restructure the bit.
This is getting groans. Why isn't it landing?
3. Premise Stress-Testing
When to use: Before you invest stage time in a new bit. Find the holes before the audience does.
Prompt pattern:
I'm developing a bit with this premise:
[state your premise]
The angle I'm taking: [your perspective/take]
Be my skeptical audience member:
1. What's the most obvious response someone might have?
2. Where might people disagree with my premise?
3. What's hacky about this that I might not see?
4. Has this been done before? (What's the cliché version?)
5. What's the stronger, less obvious version of this premise?
Follow-up prompts:
How do I acknowledge the obvious objection and still make the joke work?
A heckler says "[likely heckle]" — what's my response?
Is this premise inherently flawed, or is it my angle that's weak?
4. Callback and Set Structure
When to use: Turning a collection of jokes into an actual set. Finding the threads that make 15 minutes feel like a coherent piece.
Prompt pattern:
Here are the bits I'm trying to connect into a set:
Bit 1: [premise/topic]
Bit 2: [premise/topic]
Bit 3: [premise/topic]
[etc.]
Target length: [5 / 10 / 15 / 30] minutes
Help me:
1. Find thematic connections I might be missing
2. Suggest an order that builds (not just randomly sequenced)
3. Identify callback opportunities between bits
4. Find a strong opener and closer
5. Spot any tonal whiplash I should smooth out
Follow-up prompts:
How do I transition from bit #2 to bit #3 without it feeling random?
I want to end on [bit]. Work backward to build to it.
What's missing from this set? What topics would fill the gap?
5. Voice and Persona Development
When to use: Figuring out who you are on stage. What makes your perspective distinct.
Prompt pattern:
Here are 5 jokes/bits that have worked for me:
[paste your strongest material]
Based on this, help me understand:
1. What's my consistent point of view?
2. What assumptions do I challenge?
3. What's my status on stage? (High/low, insider/outsider, etc.)
4. What topics naturally fit my voice vs. what feels forced?
5. What's a premise that would be perfect for my voice that I haven't explored?
Follow-up prompts:
I want to expand into [new topic]. How would I approach it in my voice?
My material is all [one type]. How do I add range without losing my voice?
Compare my voice to [comic you admire]. What can I learn from the difference?
6. Act-Out and Physicality Notes
When to use: When the joke works on paper but needs performance notes. When you’re preparing for a recorded set.
Prompt pattern:
Here's a bit as written:
[paste the bit]
Help me think about performance:
1. Where should I slow down for emphasis?
2. Where are the act-out opportunities?
3. What characters/voices might this call for?
4. Where should I break the fourth wall or address the audience directly?
5. What's the facial expression or physicality on the punchline?
Follow-up prompts:
I don't do act-outs. How do I make this land without them?
Write the bit as if you were writing stage directions for an actor.
This needs more energy. Where can I pick up the pace?
Practice Progression
Week 1: Generate 50 premises on topics you care about. Throw away freely — volume is the goal.
Week 2: Take your 3 strongest current bits through punch-up. Add at least 2 tags to each.
Week 3: Stress-test a new premise before you take it to a mic. See if you can find the holes first.
Week 4: Structure your set intentionally. Use callbacks. Time it.
What Great Looks Like
After consistent use, you should notice:
- More raw material to work with
- Less stage time wasted on dead-end premises
- Tighter, more connected sets
- Clearer sense of your own voice
The goal isn’t for Alex to be funny — it’s for Alex to help you be funnier.