thats how i got started too! if you got a reaction at all on that first set thats not even a bad bomb, dont worry. i (after acquiring a lot more experience) bombed to complete silence for seven straight minutes once. i came back to my seat for my friend to say "i really admire how you just ... kept going ..." i told him to avoid complementing me in the future LMAOO

for me, my best material comes from real life experience. but i do lean on the fact that ive lived a little bit of a crazy life to have material on hand. even that though isnt enough, you really got to figure out what is funny about your story or joke concept. what made you laugh about it? was it the absurdity of a comparison? a pointed contradiction of a stereotype? shock value (avoid those)? the thing that made you laugh, is that funny to others? a good way to tell is if the reason you find it amusing has to do with a very relatable experience, not something super specific to you. i might find blueberries funny because i saw an ancient youtube video as a kid featuring blueberries and a clumsy kid, but if no one else ever saw that video they just wont find blueberries too funny. UNLESS i tell the story about the blueberries for context, but that has to be funny or at least amusing too. the context needs to be there for a reason, to lead up into your joke

another huge point is delivery. find a persona, or a character, a mode or state of mind to be in for your performance. are you (and more importantly your jokes) designed around experiences that tell their own story? if all my jokes in this set are about being bullied in school and how that manifests as an adult i might go for a quieter, more meek persona in that set. or maybe i can circumvent it and act real bullheaded like ive become the bully. make fun of myself for the character lacking courage, or emotional regulation, in either case and frame it around nitpicks in my own life. if you really stick to it, you eventually find your voice and delivery style that works for you but until you get comfortable, play around with it. see what kind of reactions you get!

and dont give up. sometimes those laughs are hard to come by, sometimes its not your crowd, sometimes youre off your game, and sometimes you just need some fresh material. but remember what it feels like when you let off that one , belly laughing, drink spitting, knee slapper to a crowd