How to Write a University Essay
Writing a university essay can be a source of stress for many students. There are people around the globe in universities that struggle with researching, writing and editing an essay. The frustration that is felt when working on a project that isn’t fully under your control is understandable, and in fact very common. It doesn’t matter if you’re a freshman or approaching your doctorate, essays can be a sharp pain in your backside, so to speak. As with everything unpleasant, it’s usually best to get it over with quickly and to do the best that you can in a short period of time. This is a little more difficult for you to do with humor, because a funny essay doesn’t come naturally to everyone. Those who can joke around all the time and say funny things in real life usually have no problem with writing a funny essay, but for students who are more serious and quiet, it can be hard to know what will make someone else laugh.
Start by planning just as you would for any other essay. Gather all your materials: instructions, suggestions, examples, books, documentaries, journals, idea lists, and parts of writing you might have started. Then, draft a brief outline, listing which idea goes where and how you want it to all come together. Have a vision in your mind about how the finished essay should look and keep striving towards that goal.
Now you just need to fill in the outline for your rough draft. This proceeds as normal for any essay, because the funny stuff is always added in later on. You can construct your entire essay and write the whole thing before strategically placing your jokes and ironies. Some students will be able to be funny as they are writing, and that’s perfectly fine as well, as long as they make sure to edit for clarity and are able to keep their humor after the first draft is polished a little more. It is usually a better idea to add the humor afterwards, but not a straightforward rule, per say.
Keep on going with your essay and put in unexpected words or turns of phrase. This is what makes something funny: it’s usually the opposite of what you expect, or depending on the type of humor you’re going for, sometimes it’s exactly what you expect.
Published on 27.12.2016