Writing an entertaining essay requires a different strategy than informative or persuasive ones. Use timing, hyperbole, and colorful language. Learn from witty writers like Twain and Bombeck. Tell a story with an introduction, climax, and unexpected conclusion. Look at situations from a unique perspective.
Writing an essay is a chore for some people and a delight for others. A humorous essay with humorous anecdotes or biting humor requires a different strategy than an informative or persuasive essay. A fun theme extends the typical writing rules you may have learned in school. Entertaining essays tend to incorporate more conversational language, with vivid punctuation and colorful verbs. Some of the best writing tips for writing an entertaining essay include using timing, irony, hyperbole and colorful sentence structure as well as learning from other writers and developing an aptitude for looking at situations of life from a unique perspective.
All comedy writing, from stand-up comedy monologues to assigned schoolwork, requires exceptional timing and hyperbole. Use the element of surprise as a theme, using puns or tongue-in-cheek misunderstandings of words as seen in the writings of Mark Twain or Abbott and Costello’s famous “Who’s First” dialogue. Hyperbole, the use of extravagant or exaggerated words – “it was slow as molasses in January” – is a wonderful tool for developing visual imagery and drawing the reader into the story. Historian Horace Walpole and beloved novelist Erma Bombeck often used satirical, ironic, and witty hyperbole in their writings, twisting their personal and political situations into jovial teasers.
Learn from the masters of witty literature. Twain, Bombeck, Horace Walpole and Kurt Vonnegut Jr. are good examples of funny writers. These authors have mastered the art of satire and self-deprecation, the act of underestimating oneself for the sake of the story. A humorous essay might characterize your propensity for losing your car keys and describe in exaggerated detail all the trouble it brings. Rather than burdening your reader with florid adjectives, apply the power of strong verbs to pack a punch. Alliteration also works well.
Every good essay has an introduction, main body, and concluding paragraph. A humorous essay incorporates these bits as well, but rather than listing facts in descriptive prose, a humorous essay tells a story with an introduction, a climax, and an unexpected conclusion. Keep the intro and outro brief and focus on telling the entertaining story. Never deviate into other topics; stay true to the main thesis and use imaginative words that flow naturally from the story. Use strong punctuation to emphasize your point, but avoid over-marking.
Finally, look at everyday situations from a different perspective, such as through the eyes of a child or perhaps as a magical toy that can think. With such a mindset, you can extract wit or humor from even the most boring or mundane of situations or events. Telling a story from an unexpected perspective engages the reader. Lively verbs and hyperbole encourage him to keep reading. The ironic or satirical ending completes the amusing essay.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
