Page 402 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing

your purpose. However, if you are writing about a process of more
limited interest, you may find it useful to motivate a specific audience

and explain the value of or reason for the process.

When you are motivating a specific audience, think about who might

find your process useful. If you are writing about study strategies, your

target audience would be students. If your topic is “choosing a day-
care center,” your target audience would be parents of young children.

Once you have identified your audience, think about how the process

will benefit that audience. Readers are more likely to be motivated to

read your essay if you can show them that the process has value for

them.

Example of Introduction to Motivate

Choosing the right day care for your child can mean the difference

between a happy child who looks forward to the fun and friends at day

care and a child who hangs back in the mornings, reluctant to leave
the house. A child’s attitude toward day care is often a precursor to

his or her attitude about school. Because the choice of day care is

so vital, it pays to know what to look for in a day-care center.

Concluding the Process Essay

The conclusion of a process paper should answer the question, What

is the value of the process? If your paper is a “how-to” process paper,
the answer to the question may motivate the reader to carry out the