550 words

Writing Assignment #2 – Writing about Process

Scenario

You are writing as someone with experience, to an intelligent reader who does not know the reasons to do something a certain way in a new context. The reader may also not be aware of certain nuances or tips, so part of your job is to share your wisdom.

Your delivery mechanism for this assignment is a chapter in a handbook or manual.

For the Assignment #2 pre-writing scenario, you will need to

a) choose (and in some cases refine) a topic,

b) identify the specific reader for your chapter,

c) identify (name) the title of the book in which the chapter appears,

d) provide an idea for a useful figure or table to include in the chapter, and

e) brainstorm in order to create a Table of Contents, with nested topics, subtopics, and some sub-subtopics in a logical PLD structure.

Pick a topic from the list provided. Note your topic number to be used as your chapter number, and note your topic to be used as the chapter title. You may also propose a topic not on the list, but be sure to get instructor approval.

Length

550-600 words. Do not include your TOC, table/illustration, or References in your word count. Include your final word count at the bottom of your final page, as follows [word count xxx]

Organization

Purpose

This pattern has no introduction per se. Instead, it begins with a purpose statement which announces the chapter subject and conveys its importance to the reader or the organization.

The purpose statement concludes with a boiler-plate overview of the chapter contents (e.g., “This chapter provides guidelines for making a sandwich,” “This chapter outlines best practices for using flash for photos,” etc. NOTE: Since your chapter includes a T of C, do not list the various topics (this would be redundant).

The purpose statement does not have a heading (and should not appear in the T of C).

Body

The rest of the document is organized in progressive levels of disclosure or development (PLD). This means each topic/subtopic moves from general to specific.

Throughout, the reasons (“Why”) to follow the procedures is foregrounded.

2-5 topics are organized into subtopics and, in some cases, sub-subtopics.

Use headings and subheadings (or sub-subheadings) to help the reader navigate the content and quickly find the information they want at that moment. (Readers like to dip into manual contents, rather than reading from beginning to end).

Paragraphs should be medium-short, to aid reading. (See “BIG PARAGRAPHS” on the rubric).

Conclusion

This pattern has no conclusion.

References

Your references section should begin after the last section (not on a separate page).

Design

You will need to create a design appropriate to your topic, the book in which the chapter appears, and the reader you are trying to reach.

Do not merely copy the sample formatting. Use your own creative design sense to deploy Robin Williams' C*R*A*P* principles, including colors and fonts, to match and enhance your chapter. (For this assignment, design is worth ~20% of the final grade).

Additional Formatting Requirements

1. Chapter number and title on page 1 (For this assignment, chapter titles should be copied exactly from the topic list, and the chapter number is the topic number. See the Topic list.). NOTE: Do not create a separate title page.

2. Integrate your name as shown in the samples (below chapter title/number).

3. Include a Word-generated Table of Contents (ToC) to aid the reader.

4. Your design should include footers, page numbers, and (after page 1) a “running head” (refer to the samples to see what this looks like).

5. The References section should match the design of the chapter, including the H1 heading and fonts.

Pre-Writing Steps

For the Pre-Writing Stage:

1. Research your topic, keeping track of any sources you look up.

2. Brainstorming background: Identify what you know about the topic. What are the standards, conventions, generalizations, and assumptions? Remember that the audience does not know why, but knows how, so you're not writing instructions. Use a mindmap to explore your topic. (You will be turning this in).

3. Group elements into categories and identify headings and sub-headings. Have sub-sections for each idea you want to explain to the reader. That way you can keep the sections small.

4. Organize the headings and sub-headings in a logical progressive level of disclosure order. This becomes your outline.

5. For this assignment, you need to include a graphic or table using some of the information from your outline. Identify which section you plan to use for the graphic, table, or figure.

Additional Instructions

POV: Address the reader as "you." But be sure to use "you" when you're explaining what they need to do. There is no first person singular ("I") in process writing.

PACE: Write as med-formal, pace fast, but not chatty. Be respectful of your audience's intelligence. Do not write like you're talking to the reader (that's considered chatty writing and is very informal).

TONE: Do not talk down to the reader. Write directly to them, but don't chose words that make you sound pompous or pedantic.

AUDIENCE: Always remember that you're writing to a reader you want to help initiate or your colleagues, so write respectfully. Don’t be too bossy, patronizing, or insulting; honor their intelligence.

INSTRUCTIONS? Your document should not be organized in steps. Some instructions may naturally leak into your description of best practices. But they should always be preceded by the background (the why). Headings should not be instructions or commands. NOTE: By describing why first or the results you want, and only then how to achieve this result, you move away from an instructions-oriented document.

Include at least one chart/figure or table. A table or figure should fulfill the goal of the pattern, in this case to assist the reader’s understanding and successful accomplishment of the practice(s) described in the chapter.