“Meet the Teacher” offers a quick introduction to The Porch’s Teaching Writers. Today we welcome Cortney Warner, who is teaching Comedic Writing for Everyday Life for us this fall. Cortney is a comedian and writer who has a BA in Organizational Communication from Kent State and has studied directly under SNL/Key & Peele writer Rich Talarico.

Tell us about a book you've recently read and enjoyed.

Oh man, I have two if that's ok? I loved What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo. My therapist actually recommended it to me. It's a beautiful memoir that also covers self-help and understanding C-PTSD and the long term repercussions of family dynamics. My second was The Maid by Nita Prose—it was just such a fun romp! Really enjoyable for anyone who enjoys a bit of lighthearted mystery. I was a big Scooby Doo cartoon fan as a kid, and this scratched that itch for me.

What’s one inspirational text you return to again and again? (It could be a video, a
book, a TEDTalk, etc.)

This might be cliche, but I really love The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. I had the pleasure of going through the book a few years ago with some colleagues (highly recommend doing TAW with a group by the way), and it completely changed my life! I still return to some of the prompts and exercises here and there. Also, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert is one I reference a lot when I'm trying to work through something creatively.

What is your favorite writing (or comedy!) rule to break?

I am a firm believer in learning all the rules of comedy writing, so you can break them! Someone told me once that David Lynch can make a "normal" film, because he has the knowledge and skills and understands the medium, which is why his "weird" style works so well. I think that applies to every art form. However, with that said, I definitely have some rules I encourage everyone to break:

—That you only can stick to one medium! Especially in comedy, I see a lot of individuals only doing stand-up or improv or sketch, and maybe that's a regional thing, but I always found it odd that there wasn't a lot of branching out beyond the preferred medium of the comic. I think it's important to learn how to be funny and express yourself in as many mediums as possible. They don't all have to be your favorite, but being open to the possibility is important.

—Also, people/the industry will try to tell comics with a diverse/marginalized background to "tone it down," or categorize you as a "political" comedian, when you're just sharing about your life experiences, and that's just absolute garbage. Lean into it, and if you're brave enough and feel compelled to share your life story and perspective, then do it. I've had countless veteran comedians and folks tell me to try and talk about "more relatable" stuff on stage. Relatable to who, exactly? I'd rather find my audience and community than pander to someone who will tear me down the second they have the chance.

I've had countless veteran comedians and folks tell me to try and talk about "more relatable" stuff on stage. Relatable to who, exactly? I'd rather find my audience and community than pander to someone who will tear me down the second they have the chance.

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Music while writing: Y/N?

No, sadly I’m not able to focus with a lot of other sounds around me. I live in a quiet neighborhood and keep it pretty silent around the house when working.

What words of wisdom can you offer folks who want to break into the comedy scene
in Nashville? Or in general?

Get out to open mics if you're interested in stand up, there's no right or wrong way to start. Just be a decent human being, and (usually) you'll eventually find your style of comedy. People often don't remember if you're bad at the beginning, but they do remember if you're a jerk. Be a good hang, show up and support shows you're not on, and work hard. Also watch as much stand up as you can starting out, both on Netflix/HBO and at local, live shows. You'll quickly learn what to do and not to do just from that alone.

For improv and sketch comedy, I highly recommend getting into an improv or sketch writing class. Even an acting class can help you understand basic scene structure. Taking my class through The Porch is a great jumping off point as well. From a totally unbiased opinion, haha.

What excites you about teaching writing?

As a comedian and writer, one thing I love is being able to sit around and work on jokes or write sketches and pitch ideas to each other. It's absolutely electric being in a room where ideas just come out left and right, all to make a joke or project even better than it was before. I also enjoy getting to connect with other artists on any skill level, and I think this class will be a lot of fun! I'm really excited to help people get out of their heads and learn skills on how humor and humor writing can help them in their everyday lives.

Why did you pitch this class? 

I pitched this class because I think there's a need for folks to understand how to infuse humor in their work and everyday lives. So many writers understand the basics of structuring a piece, but I've found over my near decade of working as a comedian that so many brilliant and talented writers see infusing humor into their writing as some sort of ethereal task that only those blessed by the creative gods can finesse. While I can't promise I'll make someone the next John Mulaney overnight (heck, I can't even do that for myself haha), there are basic skills you can learn and add to your writing that'll make your work funny and genuine.

Tell us about something that has inspired your creativity lately, other than a book.

I just finished watching Baby Reindeer on Netflix, and my goodness! Completely brilliant, beautiful, and heartbreaking. While also having incredible, genuine moments of humor and levity. Richard Gadd is brave and so talented for creating the show and basically reliving his trauma for millions to consume and connect with. I can only hope to be that open and able to create something with a fraction of the fearlessness and ingenuity that Baby Reindeer has.