1. PROCESS ESSAY

2. Life is a PROCESS ESSAY (cognitive & social development)

3. PROCESS ESSAY *BRIEF DEFINITION:
the careful, detailed explanation of a particular procedure
*TYPES of PROCESS-ANALYSIS:
DIRECTIVE: how to perform a task
*you will write this type of process essay
how to change of flat tire
INFORMATIVE: explain how something works
how the gulf stream works

4. TRAITS

5. PROCESS ESSAY vs. FIRST ESSAYS
*DESCRIPTIVE:
dominant impression
sense details with similes (to support DI)
arranged spatially
pan like a camera

6. PROCESS ESSAY vs. FIRST ESSAYS
*ILLUSTRATIVE:
reasons, proof, examples
supported by stats, anecdotes, instances
arranged logically
emphatic order—save the best for last

7. PROCESS ESSAY vs. FIRST ESSAYS
*NARRATIVE:
narrative details of a moralistic story
arranged chronologically
linear time sequence—beginning, middle, end

8. PROCESS ESSAY vs. FIRST ESSAYS
*PROCESS-ANALYSIS ESSAY:
detailed steps in a process
arranged chronologically
step by step by step
use description, narration, illustration
use transitions between steps
AND…..

9. YOU, YOU, YOU
* The Process Essay is the only one in which you are directly addressing the reader, so get all the you’s out of your system now.
you, you, you, you, you
“you are”
“you’re” is NOT allowed (no contractions)
“UR” is NOT allowed (no text-messaging lingo)
“your” is allowed

10. POV “YOU” 2ND-person POV directly addressing the reader “I”
1st-person POV (*more informational process essay)
speaking from personal experience (*more Narrative)
“YOU” with “I” (*recommendation*)
directly addressing the reader (“YOU”)
offering personal examples for illustration (“I”)
“For example, I prefer to add my fabric softener at the end of the third cycle.”

11. INTRODUCTION

12. INTRODUCTION **SCENARIO: Create a context for this process
What situation would dictate the reader needing to know how to perform this task?
Why should the reader know how to do this activity?
purpose: answer the “so what?!” factor

13. INTRODUCTION *OVERVIEW:
Now that you have gained our interest and created a need by virtue of the scenario, now tell us exactly what we are in for in an overview of the entire process—
How many steps?
What is the difficulty level?
How long should it take?
Divide into recognizable parts
Describe the result (sense details; “After following my easy, five-step process, you will have safely, properly changed your flat tire.”)

14. INTRODUCTION **PURPOSE STATEMENT: like a thesis statement
what essay will concern
why readers should do
combine “overview” with your purpose to get a thesis statement:
purpose: answer the “so what?!” factor
In six easy steps that should take you approximately ten minutes, you can create a new, exciting, flattering look for yourself.

15. INTRODUCTION *PURPOSE STATEMENT* **DO NOT ANNOUNCE:
Rather than “I am going to tell you how to make this” OR “In this essay I will show you how,”
Write “If you follow this easy six-step process, you will be able to create…”.

16. INTRODUCTION *EXAMPLES OF CREATING A SCENARIO & INTRODUCING THE TOPIC:
1) Have you ever been driving home late at night on a dark, deserted road out of cell phone range when you felt the car pulling sharply to one side and you heard the unmistakable thumping sound of a flat tire?
BODY’s 1st sentence: The first step in changing a tire is to….

17. INTRODUCTION *EXAMPLES OF CREATING A SCENARIO & INTRODUCING THE TOPIC:
2) Girls, are you tired of being seen as only sex objects? OR Feminism is dead, and women are now, more than ever, seen as simply sex objects. Girls, if that is how they are going to treat us, then we should use it to our advantage. One of the best instances to use, as Mama always said, “the gifts th’ Good Lord gave ya” is when you are pulled over by a police officer for a moving violation. I have three simple steps for getting out of a speeding ticket. (*from a student essay*)
BODY’s 1st sentence: The first step in getting out of a speeding ticket is to….

18. BODY

19. BODY *COHERENCE: *CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER *TRANSITIONS first, then, next,
* “First, get the….” AND “Next, use the…” (vs.) “The first step is to…” AND “The next task involves…”
*SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
after, before

20. BODY: Transitions

21. BODY: Transitions I. COHERENCE:
In the end, you want your essay to be a unified whole--a strong link chain, if you will. 
Coherence, the technical term for this
chain effect, points to not only the
logical flow of ideas, but also the interconnectedness of ideas. In other words, coherence measures how well the ideas relate to each other.  This is where transitions come in:  they help build coherence.

22. BODY: Transitions II. NO SENTENCE IS AN ISLAND.
Incoherent writing is characterized by
short, choppy, unrelated sentences. 
The writer has not demonstrated any
relationships between ideas:  each
desert-island-sentence floats in the
ocean-paragraph with no bridge
connecting any of them.  Consequently,
just like someone stranded on an island,
the idea soon shrivels and dies.

23. BODY: Transitions
Transitions are the bridges between sentences that connect ideas and build a unified paragraph.  Some of the relationships they show include cause or effect, comparison or contrast, emphasis, sequence, and summary.   

24. BODY: Transitions
When each paragraph becomes a cohesive whole, then we use transitions to connect each of them, too.  In order to build a larger point throughout the essay, we can employ transitions between paragraphs to reference, contrast, or continue a previous idea.

25. BODY: Transitions
Thus, the final essay represents a series of associations, of relationships, of links--of bridges--between ideas.  Because of this interconnectedness, the writer's thesis is logical, sound, and coherent, and the reader can easily follow the course of the argument, crossing from one point to another.

26. BODY: Transitions
To carry this metaphor to its (merciful) conclusion:  transitions provide the valuable infrastructure necessary for a reader to travel uninterruptedly between each of the island-states (ideas), and the final unified essay created with them has become like a centralized form of government uniting a group of island-states under one flag (thesis, argument, point).

27. BODY: Transitions III. LINK:
Transitions provide links between the following:  
SENTENCES:  Also, the temperature of the oven must be set on high to achieve this goal.
PARAGRAPHS: Another reason I dislike Mondays involves highway traffic.
SECTIONS:  As noted in the previous chapter, the theme of equivocation dominates Shakespeare's Macbeth.

28. BODY: Transitions IV. FORMS:
Transitions often come in the following forms: 
SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS:  since, because, if, when, although
COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS:  and, but, yet, or, nor, for, so
PREPOSITIONS:  after, during, behind, beyond, during
ADVERBS:  once, never, always, frequently

29. Time and Sequence/Order
BODY: Transitions
V. Transitions for the Process-Analysis Essay:
Time and Sequence/Order
First, second, third
Next, then, finally, lastly
After, afterwards, following,
At this time, at this point
Simultaneously, concurrently
Subsequently, while, meanwhile
When, during, immediately, now, later, in the future, earlier, sometimes, always, never, whenever, once

30. BODY: Transitions * Examples of transitions in a process essay:
1) First, pull off the road a safe distance from any possible traffic, and park on a flat surface.
2) Next, put the car in park and put on your emergency brake.
3) Then, after you activate your four-ways, you must gather all the necessary equipment, such as a flash light, crow bar, jack, and, of course, spare tire. All these items should be located in your trunk.

31. BODY: Transitions
The latter sentence actually employs 2 chronological transitions: “then” and an introductory subordinate clause that begins with “after.” While both indicate time, the second allows you to put 2 steps into 1 sentence, and it tells you the order these 2 steps are to be performed.
Also, you noticed that these transitions appeared at the start of their sentences. Typically, this is good practice, for it enumerates each step and makes it easier for the reader to follow along. However, their position can be as fluid as that of most adverbs:
Pull off the road first, at a safe distance from traffic, and park on a flat surface.

32. BODY: Transitions VI. Pitfalls of These Transitions:
1) The List: your essay resembles a recipe
card on which your steps are numerically
listed. 1) 2) 3)
2) The Ad Naseam: you abuse the sequential transitions. “First, second, third, …twenty-third!”
3) The M*A*S*H Mistake: improper chronology

34. M*A*S*H: “The Army-Navy Game”
Set-up: An unexploded shell lands in the middle of the compound, and the surgeons have to disarm the weapon.
Henry, the commanding officer,
reads directions from behind the cover
of mattresses to the two surgeons.
Trapper and Hawkeye are the two surgeons who have to “operate” on the bomb. At this point, they have successfully removed the access panel and are now at the infamous wire-cutting stage.

35. M*A*S*H: “The Army-Navy Game”
HENRY: "And carefully cut the wires to the fuse at the head.”
NARRATOR: Trapper cuts the wire.
HENRY: "But first remove the fuse.“
NARRATOR: Everyone exchanges panicked looks; Trapper listens to the bomb with a stethoscope.
TRAPPER: "Psst. Psst.”
HAWKEYE: "You spring a leak?“
TRAPPER: "It stopped ticking.”
HAWKEYE: "Let's get the hell out of here. We've only got 2 and a half minutes, maybe."

36. M*A*S*H: “The Army-Navy Game”
BOOM!
Luckily, it is only a CIA propaganda bomb.

37. BODY *STEP-BY-STEP: assume nothing presume your audience=NOVICES
reader knows nothing about your topic
reader has never performed this task before
DIRECTIVE (how-to, technical writing)
vs/
INFORMATIVE (close to narrative)

38. BODY *THIS IS AN ESSAY, SO… *NO LISTS*
*NO RECIPES (keep in essay format)
*do not forget the ARTICLES (a, an, the)
*do not forget the INTRODUCTION & CONCLUSION paragraphs

39. BODY
*DETAILS:
* STEP #1: gather all materials 1st (items should NOT just magically appear in the middle of the process)
* “HOW EXACTLY” (don’t skip over steps; the devil is in the details)
use DESCRIPTIVE DETAILS
since this is not necessarily a 5-paragraph essay, group steps into related PHASES/STAGES

40. BODY
*FLAVOR:
make PERSONAL SUGGESTIONS or PREFERENCES (if no specific brand/flavor is required) (i.e., amount of salt)
make TIPS (better use a pot holder)
give SPECIFIC INSTANCE if “it depends”
briefly explain the REASON for a step if it is not obvious (do this to prevent a mess)

41. BODY *GRAMMAR: spell “INGREDIENTS” correctly
no “THINGS” (steps, tasks) (items, utensils)
350 degrees (not the symbol for degrees)
medium-sized pan (hyphen, -ed)
“THEN”=not a conjunction (use “, and then”)
COMMAS (“Introductory subordinate clause,”) (between two I.C. joined by a C.C.)
COLONS (“First, gather the following ingredients: milk, sugar, and flour.”)

42. CONCLUSION

43. CONCLUSION *CONSIDER THE PROCESS AS A WHOLE:
repeat/reference the PURPOSE of your process (why did you tell us how to do this) (scenario)
Process-as-a-whole:
#/difficulty of steps
*total TIME of process
*describe the FINISHED PRODUCT (smells, taste, sight, feel, sound)
CLINCHER SENTENCE

44. *** CAN THE READER DO IT? ***
LITMUS TEST
*** CAN THE READER DO IT? ***

45. cognitive & social development
TOPICS
related to
cognitive & social development

46. TOPIC PROMPTS *PERSONAL PROTECTION:
How to handle inappropriate and/or unwanted sexual advances at work, school, social setting
How to defend yourself if attacked
How to determine that you are in and/or how to leave an abusive relationship
How to catch your significant other cheating
How to get a PFA
How to win a custody battle

47. TOPIC PROMPTS *PERSONAL IMPROVEMENT: How to quit smoking
How to determine that you have a drug/alcohol problem AND how get help with it
How to deal with the death of a loved one
How to start over
How to begin a diet, exercise regiment
How to train for your first 5k, 5-miler…
How to perform a basic dance step
How to find a new apartment/house

48. TOPIC PROMPTS *PERSONAL MAKE-OVER:
How to give yourself a manicure, pedicure
How to prepare a special bubble bath, facial
How properly to wax, tan
How to cut, treat, wash, perm, highlight your hair
How to have a tattoo removed
How to select the best plastic surgeon for your medically necessary condition
How to buy a used or new car

49. TOPIC PROMPTS *PERSONAL EDIFICATION: Take Notes Study
Prepare for a Test, Mid-Term or Final Exam
Prepare for a Job Interview
Create a RÉSUMÉ
Deal with Stress (in a healthy manner)
Deal with a Death in the Family (and school)

50. TOPIC PROMPTS *PERSONAL OCCUPATION: Job Orientation/Training
As if you are training someone on his/her first day on the job
How to total the register, scan, waitress, bus tables, prepare dishes, create a display, unload a truck, stock shelves, stack a pallet, bundle cardboard…

51. TOPIC PROMPTS *PERSONAL INDISCRETION: On the Dark Side:
How to plagiarize (and not get caught)
How to cheat on a test
How to cheat on your significant other
How to tell a lie
How to commit the perfect crime/murder
How to get out of a speeding ticket
How to file for ARD
How to fail a particular course

52. FINAL HINTS

53. FINAL HINTS *REMEMBER, this is an essay and not a recipe, SO…
essay format, no lists (does NOT look like a recipe card)
when gathering supplies, write as items in a series (not as a list, not as a recipe card)
“After doing that step, you will need to gather the following materials: x, y, and z.” (notice the colon after “the following”; do not use a colon after a Linking Verb)

54. FINAL HINTS Commas, especially after “Intro Stuff”
Less explanation and more direction
Do not spend too much time justifying the step or the process at the expense of telling us how to actually perform the task
Introduction with process-as-a-whole
Conclusion with process-as-a-whole (time, number, difficulty of steps) and describe final product (sense details)

55. PREWRITING

56. PREWRITING LISTS: 3 tasks done at work each time
3 technical/electrical/mechanical skills
3 tasks you have done for yourself lately
3 weekly chores
3 foods you like to make

57. PREWRITING 2) STEPS: Brainstorm. List every step in the process.
Number the steps in chronological order.
List related sense details.

58. PREWRITING 3) BEFORE YOU WRITE: Do the process yourself.
Details are then fresh in your mind & you will not skip any steps.
Plus, suggestions make themselves apparent.

59. SAMPLE PROCESSES

60. How to Change a Flat Tire www.americredit.com/.../Learn2ChangeFlatTire.htm1 2 3

61. How to Change a Flat Tire4 5 6

62. How to Make MACARONI & CHEESE
STEP #1

63. STEP #2

64. STEP #3

65. STEP #4

66. STEP #5

67. STEP #6

68. STEP #7

69. CONCLUSION

70. OTHER PROCESSES

71. OTHER PROCESSES

72. HOW TO BE A STAR LOOK, SOUND, PLAY, SMELL, TALK or SING COUNTRY,
BLUES,
ROCK’N’ROLL,
GOTH,
PUNK,
GRUNGE,
RAP,
HIP-HOP,
’80s HAIR BAND, ….

74. TOPIC PROMPTS *HOW TO: SCHOOL: Take Notes Study Prepare for a Test
Prepare for a Job Interview
Create a RÉSUMÉ
Deal with Stress (in a healthy manner)
Deal with a Death in the Family

75. TOPIC PROMPTS
PAMPER: give yourself a pedicure, make Jane’s special bubble bath
CAR: change a tire, change brakes, change oil, change wiper blades, pump gas, drive standard/manual transmission (stick shift), buy used car/the perfect car for you
JOB: waitress/server, nurse’s aide, transfer patient, install carpet, customer service, job search, resume, interview, raise

76. TOPIC PROMPTS HAIR: wash, perm, color, treat, highlight
CLEAN: wash hair, clothes, car, dog; clean hamster cage, room, kitchen cabinets
MUSIC: how to read music, play specific chord, play specific riff from a song
OTHERS: plan a vacation, plant a garden, ice fish, follow the traditions of Islamic ablution, convert to Judaism

77. TOPIC PROMPTS *HOW TO: (Journal topics only)
KIDS: brush teeth, tie shoe laces, tie a tie
FOOD: make lasagna, spaghetti, German apple cake, cheeseburger, grilled cheese, PB&J, home-made Easter candy, dye Easter eggs, Jell-O shapes
SPORTS: play football (be specific: block, pass, punt, tackle); shoot foul shot, jump serve in volleyball, swim (specific stroke or dive)

78. TOPICS *HOW TO: SCHOOL: Take Notes Study Prepare for a Test
Prepare for a Job Interview
Create a RÉSUMÉ
Deal with Stress (in a healthy manner)
Deal with a Death in the Family

79. TOPICS *HOW TO: KIDS: brush teeth, tie shoe laces, tie a tie
FOOD: make lasagna, spaghetti, German apple cake, cheeseburger, grilled cheese, PB&J, home-made Easter candy, dye Easter eggs, Jell-O shapes
SPORTS: play football (be specific: block, pass, punt, tackle); shoot foul shot, jump serve in volleyball, swim (specific stroke or dive)

80. TOPICS
PAMPER: give yourself a pedicure, make Jane’s special bubble bath
CAR: change a tire, change brakes, change oil, change wiper blades, pump gas, drive standard/manual transmission (stick shift), buy used car/the perfect car for you
JOB: waitress/server, nurse’s aide, transfer patient, install carpet, customer service

81. TOPICS HAIR: wash, perm, color, treat, highlight
CLEAN: wash hair, clothes, car, dog; clean hamster cage
MUSIC: how to read music, play specific chord, play specific riff from a song
OTHERS: plan a vacation, plant a garden, ice fish, follow the traditions of Islamic ablution, convert to Judaism

82. FINAL HINTS *REMEMBER, this is an essay and not a recipe, SO…
essay format, no lists (does NOT look like a recipe card)
when gathering supplies, write as items in a series (not as a list, not as a recipe card)
“After doing that step, you will need to gather the following materials: x, y, and z.” (notice the colon after “the following”; do not use a colon after a Linking Verb)

83. FINAL HINTS Commas, especially after “Intro Stuff”
Less explanation and more direction
Do not spend too much time justifying the step or the process at the expense of telling us how to actually perform the task
Introduction with process-as-a-whole
Conclusion with process-as-a-whole (time, number, difficulty of steps) and describe final product (sense details)