20 Strong Opinions
To write comedy, you can't agree with everyone. In fact, that's the point.
Check out my first post here to read more about the namesake of this newsletter and make a copy of the input/output tracking sheet if you so desire.
A version of the below appears in the forthcoming INSIDE JOKES: A Comedy and Creativity Guide for All Writers, co-written by me and Elissa Bassist.
As we keep editing our book, one thing we stress over and over is how wildly important it is to have opinions on broad topics. We define opinion as a personal and intellectual reaction, a belief or judgment not based on facts or stats that other people can agree or disagree with. It can be significant or insignificant, popular or unpopular.
Opinion matters for comedy writing because having an opinion on your topic is a soft launch into a take for humor or point of view for satire. You need opinions for funny personal essays, memoir, and fiction. Your funniest jokes come from strong opinions you have about yourself, the news, or friends/society/culture/exes.
But here’s the problem: many of us have been socialized not to have strong opinions. We’re taught it’s polite to smile and agree, to not push back or start arguments or die on tiny hills or make opinionated statements like, “famously, the only cocktail is a Manhattan” (an opinion my sister threw out and vehemently defended against her haters on vacation this summer).
In short: we’re taught to be boring.
I’m sick of small talk where everyone agrees, where we all nod, where no one takes a ridiculous stand about the best shade of blue (it’s indigo).
Our prescription: to get into an opinionated mindset, practice being “for” or “against” things and taking a side, e.g. “Are you for or against camping?” vs. “What do you think about camping?” Practice ranting about why you are right to believe what you believe. Practice not being neutral about anything and choosing a side. Take everything personally. Have at least 20 opinions per day for life.
Here are 20 of my opinions today, 10/7/25. Debate me in the comments, you cowards!
Survivor icon Boston Rob has more charisma than Frank Sinatra.
No, Diet Pepsi is not OK with me.
I am not someone who subscribes to traditional values in most areas of my life, but some of the toppings you people get on your pizza are an affront to God.
Botox is not feminist.
After the age of, let’s say, 29, you can no longer blame your parents and upbringing for your poor behavior. A forty-five year old man blaming his mom for his lack of emotional regulation? Shameful. There are one million free meditation apps, my guy.
Filming strangers in public to post and make a joke about them on social media is straight-up deviant behavior.
It’s so, so rare that someone looks cool wearing a graphic tee :(
The best minds of our generation spend way too much time thinking about Taylor Swift. If you crave the experience of decoding a cryptic text, apply your brain to the Zodiac Killer ciphers, please.
Your media literacy is way worse than you think. I guarantee you’ve been tricked by a bot or AI post at least once in the past week.
Moo Deng the toddler pygmy hippo is over hyped.
The Dutch are correct—fries taste better dipped in mayonnaise than ketchup.
Podcasts have convinced us that talking a lot means you’re smart when it’s actually the opposite—smart people don’t need four hours to make a single semi-coherent point.
Alan Cumming is doing the best work of his career as the host of the US version of the The Traitors. So many people think they understand camp, but he lives it.
It’s OK to have a few pet conspiracy theories you check in on from time to time as long you don’t go too deep down the rabbit hole.
Personality types as determined by birth order are real!!!!
But if a potential employer ever tries to give you a personality test in a job interview, you need to run. They will only use that knowledge for evil.
I don’t know that we’ll ever again seen an actor star in as iconic a run of films as Nic Cage did from 1996-1998.
Riding a bike in the city with AirPods in is a death wish.
If tweens want to practice boundary pushing by being rude to strangers on the street, they need to be prepared to get eviscerated by said stranger in front of their pack of friends. Dishing it/taking it is one of life’s most important skills and if your parents won’t teach it to you, strangers will.
And not one of mine, though I share many in here: this Defector article on Famous Charlatan™ Bari Weiss has an opinion every other line.
To get a head start on how to turn opinions into takes for nonfiction, you must read this from Elissa Bassist (and if you become a paid subscriber, you can get the recording of the class as well!).
Upcoming one-off classes (all recorded if you can’t attend live, class slides sent in recap):
How to Write a Short Humor Piece, Saturday, October 18th 1-3pm ET (online, $75)
In this two-hour class you’ll learn a repeatable process for writing a short humor piece in the style of McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, The Belladonna, Points in Case, and other online sites (note: we will not cover satirical news like The Onion or Reductress). You’ll learn how to brainstorm, find a structure for your piece, craft a strong comedic premise and title, and use the two-list system of joke writing to fast draft a humor piece.
Write Like an Athlete, Wednesday, November 12th 7-9pm ET (online, $75)
This seminar weaves together concepts from writing and sports psychology to help participants strengthen their creative practice. We'll cover things like self-talk, pre-performance routines, practical goal setting, balanced critiques, social accountability, and more when it comes to building and maintaining a healthy and strong writing practice. Don't worry, no physical activity is required! Here is a recent interview I did on the class.
Comedy Writing for Non-Comedians, Saturday, December 6th 1-3pm ET (online, $75)
Comedy can be another tool in your writing toolbox, allowing you to write with a stronger voice, distinct point of view, and punchiness that can be applied to disciplines such as copywriting and content writing. From the rule of three to learning what the heck a callback is, learn how to be funnier on paper…and maybe even in real life! Perfect for fiction and nonfiction writers, as well as those trying to inject more humor into jobs like content writing, copywriting, and more
Tell me your strong opinions in comments!
ABOUT ME: My name is Caitlin Kunkel and I’m a writer, teacher, and creator of The Second City’s Satire Writing Program. I co-founded The Belladonna Comedy and the Satire and Humor Festival, and co-wrote the satirical gift book NEW EROTICA FOR FEMINISTS. My second book, INSIDE JOKES: A COMEDY AND CREATIVITY GUIDE FOR ALL WRITERS is out March 2026.
Dust jackets are more trouble than they’re worth
Being really into Halloween is not equivalent to having an identity
Cereal is better at night (and dessert is better in the morning)
No matter what the data shows, getting LASIK seems like too big of a risk
Never trust a person who doesn’t watch TV
there should be more smoking in movies. not in public places where the smoke will irritate my delicate constitution, but i should be able to walk into any movie theater on earth and watch impossibly beautiful people smoke cigarettes together because it looks cool as hell