Page 401 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing

important is that you have thought about it and chosen the order that
best suits your own philosophy.

Building Connections

As you analyze the process you plan to write about, you will

find yourself breaking the process into pieces in a way that

feels like classification. Process and classification have much in
common and can often be combined. An essay titled “The

Road to Alcoholism,” for instance, might mainly describe the

process by which someone became an alcoholic. However, it

would probably also break the process into definite stages—a

form of classification.
One important point to remember when organizing the “how-to”

process paper is that many processes require tools or must be done

under certain conditions. Ideally, a “how-to” paper should be written so

clearly and logically that the reader could carry out the process on the

first read-through. Usually, then, the first step of your process will

direct the reader to gather tools and make preparations. Whether
you’re telling your reader how to make a pastry or how to defuse a

bomb, no reader will appreciate being led to a crucial point and then

being instructed to use a tool that isn’t handy.

Introducing the Process Essay

If you are explaining a process with wide appeal to readers, almost

any of the types of introduction discussed in Chapter 4 will serve