3 Takeaways From HOW The Office Was Written

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The Office is loved by millions (and hated by plenty more) mostly because of how deeply it leaned into awkwardness and cringe.

Anyone else still feel the secondhand shame of Scott’s Tots?

I don’t watch much TV these days, but The Office has a permanent place in my heart.

Not just because it’s the funniest show.

Not even because it’s more clever.

I love it because beneath all the awkwardness, there’s a raw humanity that feels real.

The characters feel lived-in.

The scene feel like life has been happening there, even while my TV was clicked off

I don’t think that kind of connection happens by accident. And if we want to keep growing as writers, creators, and storytellers, we need to pay attention to what makes something resonate.

Crudity and cringe aside, here are three lessons I’m taking away from how The Office was created. Let me know what you think.

1. Start With a Blue Sky Period

Before any season of The Office was written, the entire writing team would spend weeks in what they called the Blue Sky phase.

For two, three, or four weeks sometimes, if they had a longer period, every single day in the writers room was just, ‘What if…?'

• What if Michael ran over Meredith?

• What if Jim finally confessed his feelings?

• What if Dwight became regional manager?

It didn’t matter if the ideas contradicted each other. It didn’t matter if they sounded ridiculous. The goal was volume —> keep throwing out ideas.

Creativity needs space before it needs structure.

Many of us (often myself) start in a box (a template, an outline, a copied piece of work) that we limit the space creativity needs.

Before you start worrying about fitting your ideas into a "perfect" mold, give yourself permission to throw everything on the table.

2. Avoid "Jokey Jokes" — Stay Real

Showrunner Greg Daniels had my favorite rules for writing comedy, “No jokey jokes.”

He didn’t want The Office to feel like a string of punchlines. He wanted it to feel like life: messy, odd, silly when you least expect it.

B.J. Novak put it perfectly: “I would compare it between the difference of a kid who knows he’s cute, and a kid who doesn’t. A kid who knows he’s cute is not cute. A kid who just says something without realizing he’s cute is hilarious. And that is what he wanted The Office to feel like.”

Real humor, real connection, real resonance comes when we stop trying so hard to be impressive. When our stories feel like us, not like a performace we are putting on for others.

I think there is a takeaway in there for how people are writing on social media these days, but I’ll set that aside for now.

Just remember, when you tell stories (whether from a pulpit, an email, or a dinner table) your goal isn’t to make people gasp or laugh or cry.

It’s to keep their attention.

And just being you is the best way to do that.

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3. Find Your Visual Metaphor

“The visual metaphor that [Greg Daniels] gave us for the show at large was like a paved over, concrete, boring looking office parking lot with one little flower peeking up through a crack in the pavement.” Execute Producer & Writer Michael Shur

That was the heart of The Office.

The small moments of hope and love that survived the gray, grinding monotony of office life.

• Jim and Pam’s glances across the desk.

• Michael’s accidental moments of genuine care.

• Dwight’s weird but loyal “friendship” with Angela.

Good stories are never just about what’s happening. They’re about what’s breaking through the story.

When someone gives you their attention, whether it’s an audience, a reader, or a room full of teenagers, they’re trusting you with something precious.

Don’t just give them noise.

Give them that flower.

That’s exactly what great writers do.

After writing for over 10 years, here are some of my favorite ways to develop this level of creative thinking and writing:

• Write every day

• Allow your mind to think openly

• Notice tiny details in everyday moments

And if you're ready to take your writing or storytelling to the next level, I'd love to hear from you personally.

Christian Story Lab isn’t just meant to fill your head with more information —
It’s meant to fuel real, measurable growth as a Christian writer and storyteller.

Here’s what I’d love to know from you:

• Where do you feel stuck when it comes to writing stories?

• What dream do you have as a writer that feels just out of reach?

• What’s the biggest obstacle holding you back and what kind of support would help you move past it?

Hit reply and let me know.

I read every response and I’ll personally reply to each one.

Write on 🤙

— Payton