What is a Process Essay?
We have heard of argumentative essays, love essays, business essays, literature essays and a whole heap of other terms that classify different essay types. But what entails a Process Essay? Some of us might be at a loss when we are required to write one. So, let’s find out what it is all about.
A Process essay’s main objective is to educate the reader on how to perform a particular task by giving instructions on the series of actions which makes up the task. These series of actions needs to be performed in a fixed and sequential manner to achieve the successful end result. Your job as the writer is to give a step by step description of these actions, in a clear and precise manner. Even a layman should be able to understand them so that they can end up achieving the desired outcome by following the instructions.
What makes it good?
A deep knowledge and a high level of familiarity with the involved process will allow the writer to describe it easily and clearly. Unless you know what you are talking about, it is difficult to instruct another person on how to do it, especially when your only medium of instructions is the written words. So, most important essay tip is that you need to choose a process which you are familiar with. If the choice of the process is not yours, you need to familiarize yourself well with the given process prior to starting the writing.
Few Guidelines:
Use the title of the essay to enlighten the reader of the process being described and the intended end result. It is very important to introduce the specialized terms and their meanings which will be used in the essay at the very outset. This will reduce the chances of your reader getting confused with words and terms that they are unfamiliar with, but relevant to the process being discussed. All the background information related to the topic as well as the environment and context of the process should be specified.
As per standard essay format, the next part of the essay will comprise of the body paragraphs. You will provide the steps and actions in a sequential and orderly manner within this section. Clear and accurate instructions of how to perform each step should be outlined and the expected outcome of each step should be mentioned. Use transition lines to ensure smooth flow to the essay. For example, “Once you complete the third step, next step of the process involves….” will guide the reader through the step by step activities linked to the whole process.
A good essay writer will not forget the value of the conclusion of an essay. In a process essay, the conclusion plays a key role. Use it to state the intended outcome which will be achieved by following the discussed process. You can make your essy more comprehensive by outlining few problems which can be anticipated while conducting the process and instructions on how to tackle them. Depending upon the formality of the essay and writing style, you can add a lighter note to the ending by reassure your readers that if they don’t get the outcome right in their first attempt, practice will make them perfect! Just make sure your process instructions are correct before you say that!
Author: George Bray, writer and educator from writing center Tutoriage. Ten years of education and tutoring.
