Here’s an idea - Quit!

Jonfiction: Update 2026 01 23

Jan 24, 2026

Quitting was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

I’m still writing - that delusion hasn’t gone away, but there’s a reason I’d much rather perpetually pursue authorship than many other creative hobbies. One such extracurricular activity was standup comedy. I was a glorified open miker. Heck, most of the time, I was just a plain ol’ open miker. I did the world of comics a favor by hanging it up years ago, and comedy won’t miss me. Despite the friends and associates I made and the good times I did have, I do not miss taking the stage. The reason I eventually “retired” was fairly uninteresting, which is partially why I abandoned the craft. I stopped doing it because it no longer fulfilled me.

That’s not a particularly exciting revelation though its significance continues to influence what I presently do. The late nights, the eons spent waiting around for my brief, few precious minutes of stage time are not something I hope to repeat anytime soon. Yes, going to work early in the morning after having performed for a sparse crowd consisting mainly of other standup’s after midnight wasn’t fun, but that’s only part of why I quit.

I got to appear in some showcases, which was appreciated, and I was liking my material. On average, I’d receive a positive reaction from audiences, but rarely did I kill. Not to say I didn’t have some fantastic nights providing me with a type of exhilaration that defies words. The highs were high, but the lows were abyssal. Bombing comes with the territory but for me, even after reaching a point where I was really okay with my stuff, I knew it wasn’t in my future to do it any longer. I dreaded going up. I loved leaving more than telling jokes and humorous stories. On nights where I skipped an open mic, I was so happy. Sure, it’s work and should be treated as such, but after roughly a decade of on-again-off-again grinding, the path gets harder to stay on. I caught the tiniest glimpse of an idea of a concept of a guess of what it would take for me to really make it. And it wasn’t enough. I didn’t live and breathe it. I didn’t love it. I wasn’t willing to sleep in my car for it.

I dropped out of comedy and went back to college. I earned a degree in design. My family grew. I was needed more and more at the one place I truly wanted to be anyway, which is at home. Toward the end of my comedy days, it’s not Like I was writing much anyway.

Some time passed and I eventually discovered the type of writing I did enjoy. Two novels later, it’s still an obsession. Fiction is fulfilling. Fame and fortune is not realistic for indies who are relatively new. However, what remains is the drive to tell stories, create the accompanying art, and all the other labor that goes into editing, marketing, networking, etc. The journey’s constant learning experiences are welcome.

Standup did teach many lessons, though, that apply to being a novelist. Timing, comic relief, developing a premise, and, believe it or not, editing. You may not be able to tell from this rambling blog entry, but serving time as a comedian helps you focus on an idea and trim fatty, miscellaneous details and even an unnecessary syllable. The writing involved in standup translates to story structure and giving characters unique voices. So, it wasn’t a waste of time. A few crowds here and there may have said otherwise, but, eh, some rooms are tougher than others.

The odds of blowing up as a comic or an author are extremely, depressingly, hopelessly low. My advice that’s not worth the pixels used to display the text I’m typing? Learn what you can from an endeavor, but if it’s not fulfilling, give it up. Then move onto the thing you really wanted to do in the first place.

Jonfiction will be released on Fridays and will be a recap of my word counts, themes explored, challenges, triumphs, studies on techniques, and generally my present status in the crazy realm of being an author.

The main blog will continue to be released on Mondays and will still cover hot topics to niche experimental explorations, as well as being a totally unserious slice of nerdery.

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