Page 419 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing

classified as “profitability problems.” Or perhaps existing parking is not
adequate, and there is no land available adjacent to the shopping

center to create more parking—a parking problem. Your first task,

then, is to decide on the organization you want to write about and to

define and classify its problems.

Once you have listed the problems and classified them into groups,
your job is to come up with a process by which the organization can

solve its problems.

This report can easily be organized like a traditional essay. The thesis

will state the problems faced by the organization, and each body

paragraph will define and classify a problem and suggest a process
for solving it.

How-to Essay: Definition and

Process

Everyone develops ways of doing things—of completing everyday
processes—that work for them. Some people even name their

systems—Andrea’s Clothing Coordination System, Raoul’s Never-Fail

Approach to Getting a Date, Betty’s Efficient Grocery Shopping

Method. What’s your system? In this essay, your job is to define a

process that works well for you, pointing out its advantages over

conventional methods. Then describe the process, step by step, so
that a reader could easily follow your directions and use your process.