Think of a process you know better than most people in your class—like how to contour
your face, how to pot plants, cooking, surfing, resolving conflicts, or preparing for a
camping trip. Or think of a zany process— like how to travel around the world without
paying for it, or how to survive without a car/cell phone. Make a list of steps, and then
describe each step. To make an essay of a process paper, you have to interpret the
process and make it interesting to people who have no intention of doing it themselves.
A process paper has a very practical objective: it explains how something is done. It also
interprets the process, gives the writer’s “take” on it, and it reveals an attitude. Your
primary objective is to present the readers with a plan for action, which can be quite
easily followed and repeated. The choice of a process essay topic is crucial as your
personal knowledge and expertise plays the primary role in getting your thoughts and
instructions clear and logical. On the other hand, choosing a common topic can be quite
uninteresting both for you and the reader.