» Is "you're a good writer" really a compliment to a standup?
What’s more likely for a comedian: becoming a better writer or becoming a better performer?
As a new comedian who consistently hears “great writing” - to the exclusion of all other types of compliments - I hope it’s the latter.
I think compliments of any element of your set are to be embraced as recognition that you’re “funny” - which is truly the only prerequiste for stand-up comedy. One can learn joke structure just as one can learn performance technique to improve the writing and the telling of a joke, respectively. But can we learn “what’s funny” about life? I don’t think we can.
