John welcomes writer and comedian Alex Edelman to look at how he wrote his solo show Just For Us, and dig into the meaning of “write what you know.” They discuss finding your voice as a writer, developing your story with an audience, why Alex doesn’t write his shows down, and the sample that first got him staffed.

We also answer listener questions on what to do when your manager doesn’t understand your comedy, and the value of characters speaking to themselves.

In our bonus segment for premium members, John asks Alex, how do you set boundaries on material when you’re dating another comedian?

Links:

Alex Edelman
Just For Us on HBO
Replay by Jordan Mechner
Replay by Ken Grimwood
Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!
Check out the Inneresting Newsletter
Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription!
Craig Mazin on Threads and Instagram
John August on Threads, Instagram and Twitter
John on Mastodon
Outro by Ali Clifton (send us yours!)
Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by Matthew Chilelli.

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

640 - Can You Believe It?

Scriptnotes Podcast

640 - Can You Believe It?