Digestive

Don't write about something that is too complicated. Don't try to write a brief process essay about something that needs an instruction manual. When you have to drive from Hartford to St. Louis, you start by getting to Waterbury. You don't like being overwhelmed by directions, and you don't want to overwhelm your reader. Also, don't write about something that needs to be accompanied by visual aids. We could read a good essay about how to wallpaper around a window or a bathroom vanity, but it would be much better to watch a videotape of the same process. There are some things that are much better seen than read. Try describing the process of tying your shoes and you'll see what we mean.

Be especially careful of the connections between your sentences in a process essay. There is a temptation to connect each sentence with "And then," "then," "and then." That's all right when Aunt Gloria is telling you how to make meatloaf, but it's boring in an essay. Try writing the essay with all the and then's you want, and then go back and eliminate most of them; you'll probably find you don't need most of them. Try for a variety of transitional tags. Don't number the steps of your essay, and avoid using words like "secondly," "thirdly," etc. You might want to say "first" and "second," but then let the numbering go. Also, although it would be tempting to use graphical embellishments — even something as simple as bulleted paragraphs or sentences — avoid doing this for the purpose of this essay. The trick here is to let the language do all the work for you. (You might want to ask your instructor about this matter of graphical elements, especially if you are writing a more technical essay.) Oh, and speaking of meatloaf, avoid using abbreviations — tsp., oz., etc. — in formal academic writing. Write everything out and save the abbreviations for Aunt Gloria's recipe card.

At first glance, it seems that beginning a process essay would be easy: just start with the first step,... [continues]

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