Pick one prompt. You are the guide, so pick a trip you can actually lead and draw on more than one kind of knowing.
Step 2 · Plan it
Plan first. Fill in the four parts of the Tour in short notes. A good route on paper is a trip the reader can take.
Step 3 · Pick one goal
One goal, chosen before you write, beats ten wishes after. Pick exactly one.
After you write, look for the proof in your own sentences.
Step 4 · Write your explanation
Keep your stops in order, draw on more than one source, and pour it on where the reader needs more. A good guide never skips a stop, never doubles back, and always says where the knowing came from.
Linking words you can borrow:firstnextbecauseso thatfinallyuntil
Step 5 · Sum it up
One more thing, once you have written. One sentence: what will your reader be able to understand or explain now that they could not before? If your explanation and your sentence disagree, believe the sentence.
Step 6 · Before you turn it in
Read your explanation once, out loud if you can. Then check.
Filed, and a route a reader could follow. You named where you were going, you kept your stops in order, you drew on more than one source, and you left the reader knowing the way. That is an explanation.
