The Right Way to Write a Humorous Essay

Writing a humorous essay is done with an aim to amuse the reader as opposed to just delivering information. Do not worry if you have never written a humorous article before, most people can write one, they just need to see the humorous side of a situation.

Write Down the Basic Ideas

The first thing to establish when writing your article is what the article will be about.

  • Do not worry about the humor in the first instance, concentrate on the subject matter.
  • Once you have your idea, think of any humorous moments that you may have experienced in relation to your essay.

Combine Facts

Although you are writing a humorous essay, it is still important to ensure that your essay has relevant facts that can back up any claims made in your essay.

  • Students can look at observations of the subject matter that its readers may have overlooked.
  • Look at how boring occurrences can be flipped for comedic effect.
  • Look at metaphors and how they can be used to inject humor into an essay.
  • Think of any anecdotes you think may be relevant to what you are writing

Comic Timing

Anyone who has watched their favorite sitcom or has been to a comedy show will, no doubt, be aware that to deliver humor effectively, you have to ensure the timing is right.

  • Students can use information and then add something to catch the reader off-guard.
  • Effective timing is usually achieved with a developed rhythm throughout the essay, write a rough draft and read it back to yourself if you are in doubt.

Exaggerate

If anyone was to write about the day-to-day affairs, it can sometimes be viewed as quite boring. Being able to exaggerate will keep the facts intact, but will also add some humor to your piece.

One such example is instead of saying, “One of my friends is boring!” you could say, “My friend is so boring I call him or her instead of counting sheep!”

What to Avoid

It is worth remembering that everyone has the own sense of humor and some people are more thick-skinned than others are.

  • Avoid sarcasm. It can come across as insulting in text as its humor relies on the tone.
  • If you have to ask yourself if something is too risqué, then do not include it.
  • Try to think of your essay as a family-friendly comedy. The humor needs to be there but it has to be presented in such a way in that it will not cause offence to its readers.