PROCESS ANALYSIS WRITING

PROCESS ANALYSIS WRITING

1. Basic kinds

   • Informational Type
     • explains how something works or happens
       • (for example, how a computer works, how oil is refined, how calculators are manufactured, or how a dictatorship was overthrown).
     • the emphasis shifts from how- to-do-it instructions to how-it-is-done explanations
   • Directional Type
     • explains how to do something.
       • (for example, how to get from one place to another or how to prepare for a job interview).
     • The sequence could be chronological (by time) or by importance.

2. The goal of all process analysis writing is the same: to teach the reader about a process.

3. Topics

   • Bad topics
     • Too few steps: like “How to blink your eyes
     • Too many steps: like “How to design, build, paint, and decorate a new house.”
     • Not interesting enough: “How to turn off a computer.”
   • Major topics
     • Scientific or natural
       • The goal is to teach us about a process in the world that may be invisible to us.
     • Historic
       • Its goal is to explain how something happened - how a social change occurred, a law was passed or a war began
         • For Example: How American law changed after 9/11
     • Advisory
       • Unlike the other types, anyone with a clear opinion can write this well; you don't have to be an "expert."
         • For Example: How to be a good boyfriend
     • Organization
       • Most topics should be organized by time: what happens first must be followed by the next step. However, some topics should be organized by importance.