Although yearbook quotes are not a tradition in the UK, we asked London-based comedy coach and director Chris Head to weigh in on how to craft a good quote for your yearbook. Chris mentors writers and stand-up comics on how to craft the best material, so he's more than qualified.

He has advice for school students who feel writer's block and are struggling to come up with something witty. "You could start by looking up serious yearbook quotes, then ask yourself what would be a playful way to parody this serious quote," the comedy coach suggests.

If you're writing a joke for your yearbook and are starting from scratch, Chris has three points you can start with. First, try sharing something personal about yourself. An existing example of such a quote can be "If you like water then you already like 72% of me."

Another approach you can take is to convey the gratitude you received. The girl who chose the quote "I want to thank Google and Wikipedia and whoever invented copy and paste" can be a good example.

If the two don't work, try giving some advice in your yearbook quote. It's true if you're a high school senior, there's not that much wisdom you can bestow on others. But it doesn't have to be serious. The quote "Remember, the more you weigh the harder you are to kidnap. Eat cake. Stay safe" gives very practical but funny advice.

Once you've studied the examples, it's time to start writing. How do you create a funny and memorable quote that stands out? Chris asks us to consider this: "Try picking one of these approaches and then ask yourself: given this starting point, what would be a playful and surprising thing to say?" 

Chris recommends considering three questions:

1. "What would be a surprising thing to say about yourself?

2. Who or what would it be surprising to thank?

3. What would be surprising advice to give in this context?"

Then we come to the key element of a yearbook quote that truly stands out. What is the secret ingredient? Self-awareness. "Self-awareness is absolutely key with a funny quote," Chris reiterates. "They work best if you are aware of how you come across to others and tap into that in your quote."

It's important to consider who your audience will be. In this case, it might be your classmates who know you. “Remember the ‘If you like water then you already like 72% of me’ guy? The people who know him who read the quote will find it even funnier as it’s so him," Chris tells us.

"Similarly, if the young woman who wrote the Google/Wikipedia quote was known for being cheeky (as we Brits would say) and rebellious," Chris adds, "It would be so much more funny and memorable."

So a good yearbook quote has to be about you, at least in some capacity. "If they don’t fit the personality of the student, they won’t work as well, so it’s really key to write a quote that suits you and references something everyone knows about you," Chris concludes.

What would make a yearbook quote objectively unfunny? One reason can be if it's full of clichés. How can students avoid them? Chris is a bit cheeky with his advice at first. "The simple answer to avoid cliché is to have an original idea!"

But he does get serious. "There aren’t many 100% original ideas out there. It’s often a case of putting a fresh, personal spin on an existing idea. Even if the idea is not 100% original, if you express it in your own personal quirky way it will feel fresh," the comedy expert says.

"Or you can also go for a complete curveball that undermines the whole premise!" One example of that could be "I don't even go to this school!"

Chris Head is the author of "A Director’s Guide to the Art of Stand-up" and "Creating Comedy Narratives for Stage Screen." He also runs online courses and consultations. Don't hesitate to try them out if you feel like you've caught the comedy bug!