Everyone knows that if you want to be a standup comedian, you have to study a lot of standup comedy, right? Wrong. How many acts did comedian and writer Ian Coburn watch before writing and performing his first real comedy gig at eighteen? We know, we know, sounds like the intro to one of those light bulb screwing jokes! But, no, Coburn saw just one comedy act-at fifteen, on TV, while babysitting...

We don't know if his future as a successful writer and comic was fostered by the desperate desire to avoid babysitting for the rest of his life, or if it was just one of those occupational thunderbolts from the sky, but watching that comedy act certainly must have made an impression.

"I do everything the wrong way," says Coburn in his hilariously deadpan manner. With tales of dating disasters plus his own version of 'life as comedy,' Coburn entertained listeners during our weekly teleconference, "At the Table."

We at Writers of the Round Table Inc. offer this free weekly forum where participants have the opportunity to hear insider information from successful writers, as well as a chance to ask questions about the industry, writing, tips to get ahead and creative inspiration.

Discussing his popular new book, God is a Woman: Dating Disasters, Ian Coburn shared his thoughts on dating, men and women, life, and how to write. Each chapter of the book looks through specific windows of Ian's dating history and is followed by a "Quickie," a debriefing, of sorts, that offers feedback and lessons learned. Believe it or not, he gives advice relevant to both men and women. Though his stories are hysterical, his work ethic is legendary. He once spent 106 straight weeks on the road touring, performing, and writing material. Ian is prolific, performing much of his comedy material right after writing it.

Anything can be material for comedy, Ian added, but the difficult thing about writing books or screenplays is that unlike standup comedy, you don't get instant feedback. When he started writing film scripts, the hardest aspect for him was trying to figure out objectively if they were good material. Eager for some sort of honest commentary on his work, Ian decided to enter scriptwriting contests. And it didn't take long for him to win one! From there, one of his scripts got picked up for film rights. He highly recommends that aspiring writers enter contests that provide written feedback on their work, saying it's valuable because it gives you direction. One of his favorites is the Red Inkworks contest because they offer the in depth comments that are so important when you're figuring out your craft.

Tireless in scope, Ian suggests that writers try to be "out there, all the time"…because you never know when you might get a break. During his time as a comedian, Ian trained himself to have a huge variety of material on hand at all times, writing specific bits for specific regions while traveling. This attention to detail gave Coburn a leg up in a competitive business because audiences loved his personal touch. At each opportunity, Ian would then take news of any new show or positive review and roll it like a snow ball, emailing the information to all of his contacts.

Professionalism rules in this case, and Ian also added that it is extremely important for all communication to be tight, neat and audience-specific. While he continually maintains and strengthens existing contacts, he also broadens his list, adding new contacts along the way.

"You gotta have a hook," he instructed. For comedy, it was his regional adaptability. For his new book about dating, it was the Valentine's Day release date. When writing contacts and maintaining ties, having these 'hooks' helps create a buzz about any of Ian's given projects. When people are interested, they are more open. He says even if an agent, manager or producer doesn't want a current piece, you can use this method to get them interested in whatever's next.

And how does Coburn get to the next piece so enviably fast? "Great ideas come when you are distracted," says Ian. When writing books and scripts, the thinking process takes him the longest amount of time. After that, he settles on some key scenes, writes ten or twenty pages, and lets the writing take over. His main piece of writing advice? "Let things write themselves." You have to be willing to let go of what you thought your book would be in order to let the piece come to life. Whenever everything seems impossible, just write. "It's the writing," says Coburn, "that takes you back."

Well, if that's the wrong way to write comedy, Ian, we're giving up "right" forever!

Please visit www.iancoburn.com and www.godisawoman.net for more information on Ian's work. And see www.writersoftheroundtable.com to hear a podcast of this Teleclass, sign up for our newsletter, and see the scope of our work.