9 Explaining a Process
Every day we perform many activities that are processes—that is, series of steps carried out in a definite order. Many of these processes are familiar and automatic: for example, tying shoelaces, changing bed linen, using a vending machine, and starting a car. We are thus seldom aware of the sequence of steps making up each activity. In other cases, such as when we are asked for directions to a particular place, or when we try to read and follow the directions for a new table game, we may be painfully conscious of the whole series of steps involved in the process.
In this section, you will be asked to write a process paragraph—one that explains clearly how to do or make something. To prepare for this assignment, you should first read the student process papers below and then respond to the questions that follow.
Note: In process writing, where you are often giving instruction to the reader, the pronoun you can appropriately be used. Two of the model paragraphs here use you—as indeed does much of this book, which gives instruction on how to write effectively. As a general rule, though, do not use you in your writing.
Paragraphs to Consider
Sneaking into the House at Night
1The first step I take is bringing my key along with me. 2Obviously, I don't want to have to knock on the door at 1:30 in the morning and rouse my parents out of bed. 3Second, I make it a point to stay out past midnight. 4If I come in before then, my father is still up, and I'll have to face his disapproving look. 5All I need in my life is for him to make me feel guilty. 6Trying to make it as a college student is as much as I'm ready to handle. 7Next, I am careful to be very quiet upon entering the house. 8This involves lifting the front door up slightly as I open it, so that it does not creak. 9It also means treating the floor and steps to the second floor like a minefield, stepping carefully over the spots that squeak. 10When I'm upstairs, I stop briefly in the bathroom without turning on the light. 11Finally, I tiptoe to my room, put my clothes in a pile on a chair, and slip quietly into bed. 12With my careful method of sneaking into the house at night, I have avoided some major hassles with my parents.
How to Harass an Instructor
1There are several steps you can take to harass an instructor during a class. 2First of all, show up late, so that you can interrupt the beginning of the instructor's presentation. 3Saunter in nonchalantly and try to find a seat next to a friend. 4In a normal tone of voice, speak some words of greeting to your friends as you sit down, and scrape your chair as loudly as possible while you make yourself comfortable in it. 5Then just sit there and do anything but pay attention. 6When the instructor sees that you are not involved in the class, he or she may pop a quick question, probably hoping to embarrass you. 7You should then say, in a loud voice, “I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER.” 8This declaration of ignorance will throw the instructor off guard. 9If the instructor then asks you why you don't know the answer, say, “I don't even know what page we're on” or “I thought the assignment was boring, so I didn't do it.” 10After the instructor calls on someone else, get up loudly from your seat, walk to the front of the classroom, and demand to be excused for an emergency visit to the washroom. 11Stay there at least fifteen minutes and take your time coming back. 12If the instructor asks you where you've been when you reenter the room, simply ignore the question and go to your seat. 13Flop into your chair, slouching back and extending your legs as far out as possible. 14When the instructor informs you of the assignment that the class is working on, heave an exaggerated sigh and very slowly open up your book and start turning the pages. 15About a half hour before class is over, begin to look at the clock every few minutes. 16Ten minutes before dismissal time, start noisily packing up your books and papers. 17Then get up and begin walking to the door a couple of minutes before the class is supposed to end. 18The instructor will look at you and wonder whether it wouldn't have been better to go into business instead of education.
Dealing with Verbal Abuse
1If you are living with a man who abuses you verbally with criticism, complaints, and insults, you should take steps to change your situation. 2First, realize that you are not to blame for his abusive behavior. 3This may be difficult for you to believe. 4Years of verbal abuse have probably convinced you that you're responsible for everything that's wrong with your relationship. 5But that is a lie. 6If your partner is verbally abusive, it is his responsibility to learn why he chooses to deal with his problems by saying nasty things. 7Perhaps he observed his father treating his mother that same way. 8Maybe he never learned any more positive ways to deal with negative emotions, like anger, fear, or disappointment. 9Steps two and three need to be done one right after the other. 10Step two is for you to announce that you will no longer tolerate being verbally abused. 11State that you are a person who deserves respect and civil behavior, and that you will accept no less. 12Next, offer to go with him to talk to a counselor who will help both of you learn new ways to communicate. 13While he learns to express his feelings without attacking you, you can learn to stand up for yourself and express your feelings clearly. 14If he refuses to take responsibility for changing his abusive behavior, then you must consider step four: to leave him. 15You were not put here on earth to have your self-concept demolished by serving as someone else's verbal punching-bag.
Questions
About Unity
1. Which paragraph lacks an opening topic sentence?
2. Which two sentences in “Sneaking into the House at Night” should be eliminated in the interest of paragraph unity? (Write the sentence numbers here.)
________________ ________________
About Support
3. After which sentence in “How to Harass an Instructor” are supporting details (examples) needed?
________________
4. Summarize the four steps in the process of dealing with verbal abuse.
a.
b.
c.
d.
About Coherence
5. Do these paragraphs use time order or emphatic order?
6. Which transition words introduce the first, second, and third steps in “Sneaking into the House at Night”?
________________ ________________ ________________
Developing a Process Paragraph
Development through Prewriting
To be successful, a process essay must explain clearly each step of an activity. The key to preparing to write such an essay is thinking through the activity as though you're doing it for the first time. Selma is the author of “Dealing with Verbal Abuse.” As she considered possible topics for her paper, she soon focused on a situation in her own life: living with an abusive man. Selma had not known how to change her situation. But with the help of a counselor, she realized there were steps she could take—a process she could follow. She carried out that process and finally left her abusive partner. Remembering this, Selma decided to write about how to deal with abuse.
She began by making a list of the steps she followed in coping with her own abusive relationship. This is what she wrote:
Tell him you won't accept any more abuse.
Open your own checking account.
Apply for credit cards in your own name.
Offer to go with him to counseling.
Realize you're not to blame.
Learn to stand up for yourself.
Go into counseling yourself if he won't do it.
Call the police if he ever becomes violent.
Leave him if he refuses to change.
Next, she numbered the steps in the order in which she had performed them. She crossed out some items she realized weren't really part of the process of dealing with verbal abuse.
2 Tell him you won't accept any more abuse.
Open your own checking account.
Apply for credit cards in your own name.
3 Offer to go with him to counseling.
1 Realize you're not to blame.
5 Learn to stand up for yourself.
4 Go into counseling yourself if he won't do it.
Call the police if he ever becomes violent.
6 Leave him if he refuses to change.
Then Selma grouped her items into four steps. Those steps were (1) realize you're not to blame; (2) tell the abuser you won't accept more abuse; (3) get into counseling, preferably with him; and (4) if necessary, leave him.
Selma was ready to write her first draft. Here it is:
Some people think that “abuse” has to mean getting punched and kicked, but that's not so. Verbal abuse can be as painful inside as physical abuse is on the outside. It can make you feel worthless and sad. I know because I lived with a verbally abusive man for years. Finally I found the courage to deal with the situation. Here is what I did. With the help of friends, I finally figured out that I wasn't to blame. I thought it was my fault because that's what he always told me—that if I wasn't so stupid, he wouldn't criticize and insult me. When I told him I wanted him to stop insulting and criticizing me, he just laughed at me and told me I was a crybaby. One of my friends suggested a counselor, and I asked Harry to go talk to him with me. We went together once but Harry wouldn't go back. He said he didn't need anyone to tell him how to treat his woman. I wasn't that surprised because Harry grew up with a father who treated his mother like dirt and his mom just accepts it to this day. Even after Harry refused to go see the counselor, though, I kept going. The counselor helped me see that I couldn't make Harry change, but I was still free to make my own choices. If I didn't want to live my life being Harry's verbal punching bag, and if he didn't want to change, then I would have to. I told Harry that I wasn't going to live that way anymore. I told him if he wanted to work together on better ways to communicate, I'd work with him. But otherwise, I would leave. He gave me his usual talk about “Oh, you know I don't really mean half the stuff I say when I'm mad.” I said that wasn't a good enough excuse, and that I did mean what I was saying. He got mad all over again and called me every name in the book. I stuck around for a little while after that but then realized “This is it. I can stay here and take this or I can do what I know is right for me.” So I left. It was a really hard decision but it was the right one. Harry may be angry at me forever but I know now that his anger and his verbal abuse is his problem, not mine.
Development through Revising
After Selma had written her first draft, she showed it to a classmate for her comments. Here is what the classmate wrote in response:
In order for this to be a good process essay, I think you need to do a couple of things.
First, although the essay is based on what you went through, I think it's too much about your own experience. I'd suggest you take yourself out of it and just write about how any person could deal with any verbally abusive situation. Otherwise this paper is about you and Harry, not the process.
Second, you need a clear topic sentence that tells the reader what process you're going to explain.
Third, I'd use transitions like `first' and `next' to make the steps in the process clearer. I think the steps are all there, but they get lost in all the details about you and Harry.
When Selma reread her first draft, she agreed with her classmate's suggestions. She then wrote the version of “Dealing with Verbal Abuse” that appears on page 184.
Writing a Process Paragraph
Writing Assignment 1
Choose one of the topics below to write about in a process paper.
How to feed a family on a budget
How to break up with a boyfriend or girlfriend
How to balance a checkbook
How to change a car or bike tire
How to get rid of house or garden pests, such as mice, roaches, or wasps
How to play a simple game like checkers, ticktacktoe, or an easy card game
How to shorten a skirt or pants
How to meet new people, for either dating or friendship
How to plant a garden
How to deal with a nosy person
How to fix a leaky faucet, a clogged drain, or the like
How to build a campfire or start a fire in a fireplace
How to study for an important exam
How to conduct a yard or garage sale
How to wash dishes efficiently, clean a bathroom, do laundry, or the like
Prewriting
a Begin by freewriting on your topic for ten minutes. Do not worry about spelling, grammar, organization, or other matters of form. Just write whatever comes into your head regarding the topic. Keep writing for more than ten minutes if ideas keep coming to you. This freewriting will give you a base of raw material to draw from during the next phase of your work on the paragraph. After freewriting, you should have a sense of whether there is enough material available for you to write a process paragraph about the topic. If so, continue as explained below. If there is not enough material, choose another topic and freewrite about it for ten minutes.
b Write a clear, direct topic sentence stating the process you are going to describe. For instance, if you are going to describe a way to study for major exams, your topic sentence might be “My study-skills instructor has suggested a good way to study for major exams.” Or you can state in your topic sentence the process and the number of steps involved: “My technique for building a campfire involves four main steps.”
c List all the steps you can think of that may be included in the process. Don't worry, at this point, about how each step fits or whether two steps overlap. Here, for example, is the list prepared by the author of “Sneaking into the House at Night”:
Quiet on stairs
Come in after Dad's asleep
House is freezing at night
Bring key
Know which steps to avoid
Lift up front door
Late dances on Saturday night
Don't turn on bathroom light
Avoid squeaky spots on floor
Get into bed quietly
d Number your items in the order in which they occur; strike out items that do not fit in the list; add others that come to mind. The author of “Sneaking into the House at Night” did this step as follows:
Quiet on stairs
2 Come in after Dad's asleep
House is freezing at night
1 Bring key
5 Know which steps to avoid
3 Lift up front door
Late dances on Saturday night
6 Don't turn on bathroom light
4 Avoid squeaky spots on floor
8 Get into bed quietly
7 Undress quietly
e Use your list as a guide to write the first draft of your paper. As you write, try to think of additional details that will support your opening sentence. Do not expect to finish your paper in one draft. After you complete your first rough draft, in fact, you should be ready to write a series of drafts as you work toward the goals of unity, support, and coherence.
Revising
After you have written the first draft of your paragraph, set it aside for a while if you can. Then read it out loud, either to yourself or (better yet) to a friend or classmate who will be honest with you about how it sounds. You (or you and your friend) should keep these points in mind:
• An effective process paper describes a series of activities in a way that is clear and easy to follow. Are the steps in this paper described in a clear, logical way? Have you used transitions such as first, next, also, then, after, now, during, and finally to make the paper move smoothly from one step to another?
• Does the paragraph explain every necessary step so that a reader could perform the task described?
• Can you answer “yes” to other questions about unity, support, and coherence on the inside front cover of this book?
• Is the point of view consistent? For example, if you begin by writing “This is how I got rid of mice” (first person), do not switch to “You must buy the right traps” (second person). Write your paragraph either from the first-person point of view (using I and we) or from the second-person point of view (you)—do not jump back and forth between the two.
• Have you corrected any sentence-skills mistakes that you noticed while reading the paper out loud? Have you checked the paper carefully for sentence skills, including spelling, as listed on the inside front cover of the book?
Continue revising your work until you and your reader can answer “yes” to all these questions.
Writing Assignment 2
Write a paragraph about one of the following processes. For this assignment, you will be working with more general topics than those in Writing Assignment 1. In fact, many of the topics are so broad that entire books have been written about them. A big part of your task, then, will be to narrow the topic down enough so that it can be covered in one paragraph. Then you'll have to invent your own steps for the process. In addition, you'll need to make decisions about how many steps to include and the order in which to present them.
How to break a bad habit such as smoking, overeating, or excess drinking
How to improve a course you have taken
How to make someone you know happy
How to discipline a child
How to improve the place where you work
How to show appreciation to others
How to make someone forgive you
How to make yourself depressed
How to get over a broken relationship
How to procrastinate
How to flirt
Prewriting
a Choose a topic that appeals to you. Then ask yourself, “How can I make this broad, general topic narrow enough to be covered in a paragraph?” A logical way to proceed would be to think of a particular time you have gone through this process. For instance, if the general topic is “How to decorate economically,” you might think about a time you decorated your own apartment.
b Write a topic sentence about the process you are going to describe. Your topic sentence should clearly reflect the narrowed-down topic you have chosen. If you chose the topic described in step a, for example, your topic sentence could be “I made my first apartment look nice without spending a fortune.”
c Make a list of as many different items as you can think of that concern your topic. Don't worry about repeating yourself, about putting them in order, about whether details are major or minor, or about spelling. Simply make a list of everything about your topic that occurs to you. Here, for instance, is a list of items generated by the student writing about decorating her apartment on a budget:
Bought pretty towels and used them as wall hangings
Trimmed overgrown shrubs in front yard
Used old mayonnaise jars for vases to hold flowers picked in the yard
Found an old oriental rug at a yard sale
Painted mismatched kitchen chairs in bright colors
Kept dishes washed and put away
Bought a slipcover for a battered couch
Used pink lightbulbs
Hung pretty colored sheets over the windows
d Next, decide what order you will present your items in and number them. (As in the example of “decorating an apartment,” there may not be an order that the steps must be done in. If that is the case, you'll need to make a decision about a sequence that makes sense, or that you followed yourself.) As you number your items, strike out items that do not fit in the list and add others that you think of, like this:
6 Bought pretty towels and used them as wall hangings
Trimmed overgrown shrubs in front yard
7 Used old mayonnaise jars for vases to hold flowers picked in the yard
4 Found an old oriental rug at a yard sale
2 Painted mismatched kitchen chairs in bright colors
Kept dishes washed and put away
1 Bought a slipcover for a battered couch
8 Used pink lightbulbs
5 Hung pretty colored sheets over the windows
3 Built bookshelves out of cinder blocks and boards
e Referring to your list of steps, write the first draft of your paper. Add additional steps as they occur to you.
Revising
If you can, put your first draft away for a day or so and then return to it. Read it out loud to yourself or, better yet, to a friend who will give you honest feedback.
Here are questions to ask yourself as you read over your first draft and the drafts to follow:
• Have I included a clear topic sentence that tells what process I will be describing?
• Have I included all the essential information so that anyone reading my paper could follow the same process?
• Have I made the sequence of steps easy to follow by using transitions like first, second, then, next, during, and finally?
• Can I answer “yes” to other questions about unity, support, and coherence found on the inside front cover of the book?
• Have I corrected sentence-skills mistakes, including spelling?
Continue revising your work until you can answer “yes” to all these questions.
Writing Assignment 3
Everyone is an expert at something. Write a process paragraph on some skill that you can perform very well. The skill might be, for example, refereeing a game, fishing for perch, painting a room, putting up a tent, making an ice-cream soda, becoming a long-distance runner, or tuning a car engine. Your topic sentence should be a general statement that summarizes in some way the process described, such as the following:
Building a good deck requires time and care.
Getting my four-year-old to bed at night is a lengthy process.
You can create a beautiful centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table using a pumpkin and dried flowers.
Writing Assignment 4
Write a process paragraph on how to succeed at a job interview. Using strategies described in the chapter on the library and the Internet (pages 311-328), research the topic. Your reading will help you think about how to proceed with the paper.
Condense the material you have found into three, four, or five basic steps. Choose the steps, tips, and pointers that seem most important to you or that recur most often in the material. Remember that you are reading only to obtain background information for your paper. Do not copy material or repeat someone else's words or phrases in your own work.
Writing Assignment 5
Option 1: Imagine that you have a part-time job helping out in a day-care center. The director, who is pleased with your work and wants to give you more responsibility, has put you in charge of a group activity (for example, an exercise session, an alphabet lesson, or a valentine-making project). But before you actually begin the activity, the director wants to see a summary of how you would go about it. What advance preparation would be needed, and what exactly would you be doing throughout the time of the project? Write a paragraph explaining the steps you would follow in conducting the activity.
Option 2: Alternatively, write an explanation you might give to one of the children of how to do a simple classroom task—serving juice and cookies, getting ready for nap time, watering a plant, putting toys or other classroom materials away, or any other task you choose. Explain each step of the task in a way that a child would understand.