Writing Assignment #3
Instructions – Writing a Recipe
Summary of the Assignment:
• Task: In this assignment, you will write a set of instructions for Alice, a friend of yours. The scenario for this situation is described below.
• Length: There is no minimum or maximum word count. However, your instructions must have 15 or more steps.
o This does not mean that you need 15 main steps. Some steps can be nested under other steps. More information on this strategy is given in the resources provided in the class on writing steps for instructions.
• Graphics: You should include at least 7 original graphics.
o Graphics should not be borrowed from other sources. All graphics should be
original.
If your situation precludes you from obtaining original graphics for the recipe, you may borrow photos from websites and cite them. Please inform your instructor if this is your situation.
o All graphics should be labeled
The Scenario
Your friend, Alice, has contacted you for help.
Alice lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is engaged to be married in two months. Her fiancé, Tony, lives in New York City.
Tony’s parents live in Salem, Oregon, and have never met Alice.
Next week, Tony’s parents are coming to Minneapolis for a work-related meeting. Alice has arranged to have Tony’s parents over to her apartment for dinner while Tony’s parents are in Minneapolis.
When Tony’s parents visit Alice in Minneapolis, Tony will not be there. The dinner will be only the three of them—Alice, Tony’s father, and Tony’s mother.
Alice is a bit nervous about the visit. She wants to impress her future in-laws with a dinner she will cook. However, Alice does not typically cook. She usually goes out for food when she needs to have a meal.
Alice has asked you for help. She would like you to write a recipe that she can follow, a recipe for a dish that she would feel confident serving Tony’s parents during their visit.
Brief Description and Strategies to Follow:
You must include the following:
• A brief introduction to Alice about why she would want to make this dish for her fiancé’s parents.
• A list of ingredients
o Remember, this is a meal for three people. You want your instructions to be
specific for approximately three people.
o Note that Alice does not typically cook. She might not understand what certain
terms mean (e.g., the difference between tablespoon and teaspoon, the meaning of
au gratin, etc.).
• A list of equipment needed
• The instructions
o Number all the main steps, as the resources for the class indicate
o Provide a graphic for steps of the instructions that need a graphic
o Remember that Alice does not typically cook. She might not understand what
certain terms mean (e.g., broiling, baking, roasting, al dente, sauté, etc.) • Warnings or statements of caution integrated throughout the set of instructions.
o Remember that Alice does not typically cook. She might not know basic safety tips involved in using an oven, handling a chopping knife, etc.
Helpful Guides and Resources:
• The Tech Writing Handbook by Dozuki, which is one of the resources listed in our class, has the following:
o an appendix that provides tips in writing instructions and incorporating graphics into instructions.
o chapter 6, “Photographing the process.” o chapter 7, “Using Other Visuals.”
• The Mayfield Handbook, which is also one of the resources listed in our class, features excellent tips on writing instructions.
o Section 2.8.3 of the handbook, Instructions and Procedures, will be particularly helpful.
Due Date:
Your instructor will notify you of the due date. You will write a first draft, your instructor will comment on the first draft, and you will submit a second draft using the comments as your guide.
