Have you heard the joke about the online college student who bored her professors to sleep with every word that she wrote? Chances are you haven’t because there’s nothing funny about a boring writer. Nevertheless, the “boring” dilemma seems to arise a lot when people write informative essays. Most assume that to relay information, they have to be bland writers. The truth is that informative essays can actually be fun if they are written well enough. There are subtle things that can be changed within an essay that turns it from dull to enjoyable without losing the integrity of the information. I ought to know, seeing that I write for a living. Here are a few tricks I learned during my time in writing and throughout my career that may help you spunk up an otherwise boring college essay.

Defining “Fun” in an Essay

First, you have to realize that having a “fun” essay doesn’t necessarily mean that there has to be a joke or humor throughout the piece. Humor is a great tool, but a lot of times it isn’t appropriate for the audience. An essay written for CEOs of a major corporation would lose its significance if it had jokes scattered within its paragraphs. If the audience is informal enough to laugh at the humor and still understand the overall information, then, by all means, make the essay a little funny. For most audiences though, other means of “fun” need to be explored.

Supporting the Text

One great way that a writer can keep his audience entertained is by providing examples that break up some of the information. This reestablishes the point he was making in the preceding sentences and gives the audience a second to think about all the information they have been reading. Though an example may not seem like much “fun,” it can be just the thing that makes someone enjoy an essay. Not only does it clarify any questionable information, but it also relaxes the mind of the reader – even if it’s just for a moment.

Loosening the Language

Another way to introduce a little fun into an informative essay is to write it with some informality. A writer can use contractions and conjunctions where he or she may not have normally put them to make the essay a more reader-friendly. This technique doesn’t work in every situation, especially not when writing for a formal audience. When it’s fitting though, lessening the formality of the language can be quite successful because it helps the writer relate a little better to his audience. An informative essay can transform from a manual to a tutorial by simply making the writing less formal.

Cracking Academic Jokes the right way

There are some rare instances when the hypocrisy in a statement or the blatant ignorance of it makes for good humor. You can insert academic humor into your writing, and that will actually make you look more intelligent as a whole. If you can’t identify a joke like this though, don’t even try to do this. You’ll end up looking stupid, rather than brilliant.

Final Words

Having a fun informative essay may not work for everyone, but it’s an option that most people don’t consider even when it does fit. Humor, good examples, and informality are great options if the audience can be accepting. It all depends on who the essay is written for. Information doesn’t always have to be written in a boring way. An essay can be both enjoyable and educational without having to change too much about the style. A long as a writer tries to establish a genuine connection with his audience, there should be no problem incorporating some “fun” into an informative essay.