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Description of a Process

Check the syllabus for due date.

Write a 500 word paper explaining how to do something or describing how something is done. Pick a topic that most readers do not know about.

The opening should end with a thesis sentence that summarizes the key point to control the process. (“To paint a room, you must focus on preparation.”)

List (and explain if necessary) the equipment and materials needed. This may be two lists. Hints about where to get stuff or alternatives may be appropriate. You might want to give pictures of unusual tools or materials.

When you explain the process, use these strategies:

Avoid theory and generalities. Instead, tell what happened.
Tell why. Explain what things are for.
Avoid hypothetical conditions. Tell what happened in the past.
Anticipate what can go wrong. Tell what went wrong.
Tell how to recover when something goes wrong.
Do not say everything twice. Instead of saying everything twice, use short transition words. Short transition words are words like next, then, etc.
Do not skip any steps.
Do not dwell on the obvious.
Explain how tricky steps are done.
Give insider hints. Tell the tips and methods you learned that you did not know or expect before learning about the process.
Do not jump from one point of view to another.

Use second person you if the reader is likely to perform the process.
Use third person (the technician, the operator) if the reader is unlikely to perform the process.
Use passive voice (“The gas produced during carbonisation is extracted and used for fuel elsewhere in the steelworks.” if whoever does it is unimportant.

For example, the following paragraph should stick to one point of view instead of jumping from third person to passive voice to second person to third person to second person to passive voice:

The painter should pry open the paint lid with a screwdriver. The paint should then be stirred thoroughly to mix the active pigments that have settled on the bottom. Be sure not to spill the paint over the sides of the bucket. The painter should then carefully pour some paint into the small bucket. Next, begin cutting with the brush, starting at the top of the walls. Care should be taken to avoid getting paint marks on the ceiling.

Here is the paragraph revised in the second person (you understood) point of view.

Pry open the paint lid with a screwdriver. Stir the paint thoroughly to mix the active pigments that have settled on the bottom. Be sure not to spill the paint over the sides of the bucket. Then carefully pour some paint into the small bucket. Next, begin cutting with the brush, starting at the top of the walls. Take care to avoid getting paint marks on the ceiling.

Do not waste words and space with needless words. Here is the 68 word paragraph above padded with needless words and explanations that puff it up to 125 words.

The first thing you need to do is to open the gallon can of paint. To do this, pry open the paint lid with a screwdriver. The next step is to take the stir stick and stir the paint thoroughly to mix the active pigments that have settled on the bottom. While you are stirring the paint, be sure not to spill the paint over the sides of the bucket. After the paint has been stirred thoroughly, carefully pour some paint into the small bucket. The next step is when you actually begin applying paint. Begin cutting with the brush, starting at the top of the walls. While you are cutting in with the brush, take care to avoid getting paint marks on the ceiling.

The rule in writing is not to count every word but to make every word count.

Remember that commands are sentences, do not put a comma between two commands. For example, the comma in the above line should be a period.

Here is more advice from http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/process.html

What process are you trying to explain? Why is it important?
Who or what does the process affect?
Are there different ways of doing the process? If so, what are they?
Who are the readers? What knowledge do they need to understand this process?
What skills/equipment are needed for this?
How long does the process take? Is the outcome always the same?
How many steps are there in the process?
Why is each step important?
What difficulties are involved in each step? How can they be overcome?
Do any cautions need to be given?
Does the process have definitions that need to be clarified?
Are there other processes that are similar and could help illustrate the process that you are writing about?
If needed, tell what should not be done or why something should be done.
Last updated 01/27/2009