Many times, adding humor to your writing can be extremely helpful to get your point across. Nevertheless, one must know how to use this tool, as it can also cause some problems too. Here are some tips for writing with some humor:*Plan for a bigger audience than what you originally planned for, because a small inside joke that for a small audience might me appropriate, might not be so convenient to use for a bigger audience.
*Do not focus all your attention in humor. Remember that humor needs to be use as assistance to your writing and not as the main emphasis.
*Try to incorporate humor into your writing by using literary devices learned back in your English class such as personification, compare and contrast, similes, good verbs, and descriptive words.
*Aim the direction of your writing in a way that at the end result of your piece, your writer thinks of you as a very talented writer who is fun to read, and not as a clown who is learning how to write.
*Be careful when using profanity, as these words get a different perspective when written rather than when spoken. Using a bad word in your context while speaking might be funny, however, using a bad word while writing might instead become distracting and not so appropriate.
*Do your best to avoid sarcasm and cynicism, as some people might not get what you are really trying to portray in your joke and get the wrong message. By avoiding this as much as possible, your end piece will be much more effective.
*At the end always revise for the tone, as it might sound different when you read it aloud rather than when you where originally writing it on paper.
Humor, if used correctly and appropriately, will help your audience to remember you. It will also make sure that the point that you are trying to make across stands out and gets notice. But make sure not to overdo it as it could turn against you and insult the reader. Lastly, make sure that your written work looks professionally polished by checking the grammar, spelling and punctuation.
Good tips on using humor in professional writing. It's a tricky thing to do, especially in an international context.
ReplyDeleteGreat informative post!
ReplyDeleteI really like this tip: "Do not focus all your attention in humor. Remember that humor needs to be use as assistance to your writing and not as the main emphasis." This is very true! Sometimes people focus to much on "trying" to be funny that it ends up not really being that funny.
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ReplyDeleteGreat post, helpful, informative and great tips!!!
ReplyDeleteBeat me to the punch, but good post, I tried to gather some info that maybe you had not covered so together we could offer more help. good job.
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ReplyDeleteThis was a very informative post with helpful tips. Great job!
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