MS. PEER EDITOR: What's up, everyone? I'm Ms. Peer Editor, and today I'm going to show you how to write a process analysis essay step by step, using excerpts of a real essay that I wrote. Let's get started. 

The purpose of this essay is to describe each step of a process in detail for the reader to understand and potentially replicate. Some example essay topics include how to cook or bake a food item, how to fix an appliance, how to practice mindful meditation, how ancient Romans built aqueducts-- in this case, you're explaining a process that has happened in the past, so you'll definitely need to do extensive research-- or how to host a successful birthday party. 

For the example essay we are discussing today, the topic is how to write an effective college application essay. For your introduction, you should include one to three of the following elements-- a hook such as an anecdote, imagery, humor, or anything else to draw the reader in initially; the purpose of the process; a brief history or necessary background information; the expected outcome of the process; benefits of the process; and a transition into the steps or the instructions that you are going to detail in your essay. 

You can even combine some of these elements. For example, I've combined these last two elements with the following sentence, "These instructions on how to write a solid college application essay will hopefully alleviate some of that stress and prove that the writing process is actually not as painful as it seems to be." It explains some benefits of going through the college application process, and the words "these instructions" at the beginning of the sentence indicate that I'm about to describe this process. 

For your body paragraphs, I recommend writing one or more paragraphs on the ingredients, tools, or prerequisites needed to complete this process, if applicable. If no prior materials or knowledge are needed, then you don't need to write this section. However, if you do choose to include this section, you should list any items needed to complete the process and list any prerequisites such as skills, certifications, or conditions. 

When I say conditions, I mean specific circumstances that are required for successful completion. For example, if you're teaching someone how to fly a kite, you might say that the best conditions for kite flying are clear skies and medium winds. 

Next, you'll include multiple paragraphs that describe your steps in chronological order. You can explain the reasoning behind these steps, although you definitely do not need to do this for every single one. You can provide examples to illustrate the steps, if possible, offer different alternatives or options, highlight actions to avoid, and also transition between each paragraph when going from one step to the next. 

Here are a couple of do's and don'ts to keep in mind when writing your body paragraphs. Make sure to use the active voice rather than the passive voice. Maintain an appropriate tone based on your intended audience. For instance, in my essay, I assume that my audience consists of students, so my tone is a little more casual or informal. However, if I were addressing a panel of experts, I would adopt a formal professional tone. 

Choose which pronouns you are using to clarify who is completing the process, and be consistent. So those pronouns could include I, you, they, or any other pronouns. And in my essay, I generally use the pronoun "you" because I am addressing students directly. 

Try to choose a consistent verb tense. Vary your transition words so that you are not being repetitive. Keep your paragraphs brief and easy to understand. And define any necessary terminology that the reader may not know. 

In terms of don'ts, you should not write lengthy paragraphs with too many steps in them. Don't include unnecessary jargon. Don't use repetitive transition words, such as first, second, third, and so on. And also, don't go on any tangents, because that will just distract the reader from the process. 

Let's take a look at a sample excerpt of a body paragraph. Pause this video to read it over. 

OK, I assume that you've paused this video. Let's start analyzing this paragraph. In this highlighted portion, I employ a humorous, self-deprecating tone to emphasize that students' first drafts of their college application essays do not need to be perfect. I specifically explained that students should avoid worrying about grammar, eloquence, and length to show that this first draft is more of a brain dump. This underlined section is one step of the process, and I follow up with my reasoning behind this step. 

I'm explaining here that students should just pour out as many thoughts as possible onto the page because it's easy to cut out the fluff or the unnecessary parts later. This second underlined section is another step, and I provide reasoning for that as well. Here, we have another body paragraph excerpt. Please pause this video to read it over. 

So here is an underlined section that describes a step in the process. This step shows how students can brainstorm their topic. And my recommendation is to think of the essay overall as a character portrait instead of a persuasive essay. My reasoning behind this is that students can really showcase different aspects of their personality by telling a genuine story to admissions officers. I want to note that while I provide reasoning for most of my steps, you do not need to include your reasoning for every step in your process analysis essay. 

I later on offer an example of a narrative, an unexpected visit from a relative. This example illustrates my point, which is that student stories do not need to be an epic experience. Further down, I list different alternatives or options for the way in which students can choose to structure their narratives. 

For the conclusion of your process analysis essay, include one to three of the following elements-- a brief summary of the process, the significance of the process, an expected outcome of the process, a call to action, inspiration or encouragement for the reader, or a reflection on personal experience. In the comments below, please write down what you would write for your conclusion. 

Thanks so much for watching. I hope you enjoyed this video. Please give it a thumbs up and subscribe. And tap the bell to receive notifications whenever I make a new video. And also, follow me on Instagram. The link to my profile is in the description. I will see you next time.