Reference:
Miller, T.; Parker, D. (1997). Writing for the
Reader: A Problem Solution Approach. English Teaching Forum, 35(1),
21-27. Retrieved July 8, 2016
Writing for the Reader: A Problem-Solution Approach
by Tom Miller and Dee Parker
Writing for the Reader: A Problem-Solution Approach
is Tom Miller and Dee Parker´s outstanding and clear overview of how to write
an effective academic article focusing on a problem-solution organization.
Writing an article is no easy task, unless one has the right tools to do so.
But realistically, not many people, let alone students, have been provided
with the correct set of tools to be able to sail through smoothly when
writing an article. As a matter of fact, for many students, writing an
article is a lot like sailing a boat through choppy waters with a raging
hurricane beating the boat from side to side. In the end, the outcomes can be
catastrophic or acceptably border lining mediocracy. Fortunately for us, the
authors of Writing for the Reader: A
Problem-Solution Approach have done an exceptional job of explaining an
approach that can make writing an article feasible and; thus, suggest the
reason for writing the article.
When writing an article, the
author must keep one thought in mind and that is to have his/her article
understood when being read. Miller, T. and Parker, D. (1997) say ¨ The
introduction is extremely important because it is the part of the article where
the writer establishes a relationship with the reader. Here is where the writer
needs to express in concrete terms who the intended audience really is. ¨ In my
opinion, the introduction to an article can either make or break an author. It
is here where the author is given the opportunity to persuade the reader of
reading his/her article. I completely agree with what Miller, T. and Parker, D.
(1997) have expressed; convincing the reader requires following two seemingly
easy steps: ¨ One of the first things a
writer must do is achieve credibility vis-à-vis the reader, usually by
indicating that s/he is a position of authority to write on the subject. The
author also may wish to signal early what problem s/he intends to solve. ¨ Once the author has been able to convince
the reader to read his/her article, s/he must move on to present the problem
part of the article which according to Miller, T. and Parker, D. (1997) is
reintroduced in the body of the article and is the part of the paper where the
writer shows that s/he shares reader´s concerns. Now, I feel that the problem
part is clearly recognizable because of the use of explicit or implied words of
causation and also because the perspective is negative throughout as Miller, T.
and Parker, D. (1997) have pointed out. In general, causes, factors or examples
of causes are what compose the problem section of the paper.
After describing the problem
section of the article, the author moves on to the solution section. Clearly,
the solution part is identified without difficulty because, like the problem
section, of the change from negative, or cause words, to positive ones.
Consequently, as was mention by Miller, T. and Parker, D. (1997) ¨the
paragraphs and sentences adjust to accommodate the new orientation¨. In other
words, the focus switches from problems to solutions. ¨ At this point, I dare
to say that the authors of this article have given the reader an extraordinary
explanation of how to recognize between a problem and a solution and; better
yet, have oriented the reader to how smaller parts fit into a whole.
The last
part of the article, which according to Miller, T. and Parker, D. (1997) is
also very difficult, is the conclusion. To
my way of thinking, the conclusion can be a bit difficult, but not overly
problematic. I believe that if a good introduction was written and the author
kept on track about what s/he was going to write, it will be reflected in the
conclusion. In the end, the conclusion is just a mirror image of the
introduction; where one starts generalizing, the other begins by specifying.
Once more, the conclusion gives the author the chance to remind the readers
that the ultimate purpose for his/her writing the article was to find a
solution to a specific problem and that that purpose was reached.
Ultimately, writing an article
so that it might be published, but more importantly read is not a piece of
cake. Nonetheless, the problem-solution format is most definitely an excellent
way of writing for the reader and here I quote Miller, T. and Parker, D. (1997),
¨ it serves a purpose of situating the writer and orienting the reader. ¨ Whether
one decides to use the problem-solution structure or some other strategy, the
ultimate goal is to sympathize with the reader. The problem-solution approach
provides the writer with the tools necessary to write an exceptional article.
