Comedy writing tips for newcomers

We don't feel comfortable with advice. Taking it can be hard enough for egomaniacal comedians, but freely handing it out seems insane considering we're still exceptionally new to TV writing ourselves. Instead, here are some of the things we've learned from our short time in the business.

Write with someone who makes you laugh

It's hard to write a script by yourself, but it's equally hard to find the right person with whom to write. We met after doing a standup comedy gig; we made each other laugh on the train on the way home. If someone genuinely shares your sense of humour and writing ambition, it's a great start. But first make sure you work out who's the "all-powerful head writer" and who's the "lowly co-head writer" – it's the source of 99% of our fights.

Enter writing competitions

When we entered the Bafta Rocliffe New Comedy Showcase we figured that just getting the judges' eyes on our novice pages would be a huge win. We were shortlisted that year and won the year after.

But what if we hadn't won? Our script would still have been read by a lot of UK producers, which meant that we legitimately could email them to discuss working together in the future. Who knows how long it would have taken to get them to meet us if we hadn't entered? Plus, your mum will tell everyone she's ever met that you've won a Bafta and that's really fun for her, if massively untrue.

Have another script in your back pocket

When we were first told that one great script isn't enough, we were horrified – one script was all we had and it felt like all we'd ever have. But we know now that people looking to work with writers often hear about a project that's already taken, so they'll ask: what else have you got? It's pretty embarrassing if your answer is a sad little "nothing".

Watch TV relentlessly and without guilt

We prefer being in our living room to being sociable, which is why we insist our obsessive viewing of sitcoms to be research or inspiration. We learned so much from episodes of It's Always Sunny, Community or Archer that we have the blueprint of a sitcom script burned into our subconscious.

Don't be a baby about your jokes

When it comes to jokes, it's an exercise in constant vigilance to keep our egos from puffing up past a manageable size. We've worked out an unwritten rule that whoever feels most passionately about a line or a joke or an idea, wins. But it only works if you give up feeling overly proud of whatever joke you're convinced is uncuttable – it definitely isn't.

Stick to the schedule

If, like us, you have an amazing talent for procrastination to the quantifiable detriment of your career, a schedule will help. We write two nights a week and both days of the weekend – if we didn't, we'd miss deadlines, and the people who have shown interest in us and our work would soon move on.

Don't fear the rewrites

Finishing our first pilot felt like such a triumph that when the producer suggested some massive structural and narrative changes, we freaked out. "Well, if there are any gaping holes, just fill them with more jokes," he said. We were terrified, but it turned out that we could make those huge (and necessary) changes – because we had to.

Go everywhere, meet everyone

Neither of us is particularly skilled at networking; we feel like morons doing an impression of a proper professional. But we've forced ourselves to get over it. It doesn't matter if nothing comes from a meeting immediately; you may find yourself grateful, years later, that you had that casual coffee.

It's OK that you have no idea what you're doing

Since starting standup a few years ago, and now with writing, we've come to realise that nobody is confident; nobody thinks they're doing well and nobody believes they can write a good script. We think it's OK to remind yourself that you're new and it's hard. Just completing a script, never mind approaching an agent or TV channel, shows you're doing really well.

Andrea Hubert and Ryan Cull are standup comedians, comedy writers and winners of the Bafta Rocliffe New Comedy Showcase – they're currently developing sitcom scripts with the BBC and an independent producer

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