You are a comedian. You have a few jokes you created, maybe a full 5 to 7-minute set.

You want to make it as a stand-up comedian. You want to go pro. You want the big bucks that come with the big name, the big shows.

You want the recognition. Maybe you even want to be famous, have people noticing you in the streets, asking you for a selfie.

Then, I feel like it's crucial that you know this:

Stand-up is probably the most undervalued art form. Yes, crafting a set with your jokes is an art, like painting or composing a musical piece: you are creating something from nothing and your creations are going to elicit a reaction from your audience.

Creating a good set, one that makes people laugh and think (usually in that order) is as complex as composing an opera or a ballad, painting a portrait or a landscape. It requires years of practice and hard work, patience, and grit. This process will test your determination, it will drain your resources, and make you doubt your skills, many a time...

But... in that same process, you'll get to know yourself in a way you never imagined. You'll get to know the strengths and weaknesses you didn't know you had, you'll get to improvise, think and speak on your feet, and most importantly, you'll learn how to make people laugh.

The worst part is that you will enjoy it all! Yes, as you suspected, we stand-up comedians are not regular people...

One of the side effects of being a stand-up comic is that everybody's got jokes, and once word of mouth starts spreading that you are doing stand-up, you'll be bombarded with text messages and emails from people who think a joke they heard somewhere is good for your set. You'll be accosted at parties and family reunions by people who love you but think you are deranged for trying stand-up. Even worse, your closest relatives will not support you, out of fear you may fail at it...

It doesn't matter what they send you, or what they tell you about your craft. As long as you keep doing your thing, writing new jokes, practicing at open mics, and enjoying the process of becoming a stand-up comedian, you can't fail. And then, just then, they'll come around, laughing out loud, to congratulate you on your success.

They will laugh, I guarantee, because of you. They will laugh because of all the time and hard work you put behind creating new jokes, polishing them, and honing your craft.

As Mark Twain said once, I think it was a Tuesday, "It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech"; it will take you a long time to become that funny guy, or gal, who everybody is discovering now.

Now hop on to the first chapter and start improving your stand-up!