Why Am I So Angry and What Can I Do About It? (Problem/Solution Argument), The Writer's Practice

Why Am I So Angry and What Can I Do about It?

(Problem/Solution Argument)

It’s possible that I’m a malcontent, but I seem to move through life finding lots of things I wish were different. This very book is a result of that. I wasn’t entirely happy with the ways other books discussed writing and writing assignments, so I decided to write one of my own that better reflects what I believe in.

Rather than simply being a malcontent, writing an analytical argument about the thing you hate may be a way of better understanding this thing that bothers you while also possibly helping you find a solution to this problem.

There are two versions of this experience: one for those who find themselves currently actively engaged in schooling, and one for those who do not.

VERSION 1: SCHOOL EDITION

Because I’ve spent many years teaching college, I’m familiar with the kinds of things students are discontented with, like 8:00 a.m. classes. Personally, I like 8:00 a.m. classes, but students look on them as a form of cruel and unusual punishment. They figure they can’t do anything about the existence of 8:00 a.m. classes except hope to schedule their own classes during other times.

But what if you could persuade those who do have power to change the thing you hate? What if those who hate 8:00 a.m. classes could convince the people who schedule things like 8:00 a.m. classes that 8:00 a.m. classes shouldn’t exist, not because students hate them, but because they do not help fulfill the mission of the institution that schedules 8:00 a.m. classes?

Tackling a problem that shows itself in your own day-to-day life is your next writing-related problem.

Something is not as it should be, and you wish it were different.

AUDIENCE

You are writing for the someone (or someones) who has the power to make the change you seek.

PURPOSE

You want to persuade. But remember, this is not the persuasion of a small child throwing a tantrum until the authority figure gives in. You need to convince your audience that this change is in everyone’s best interest, not just your own.

PROCESS

1. Feel the hate.

Let loose all the dislike you feel about anything school related. Visualize your day. What are the problems?* What could be better? Write down everything you can think of, no matter how trivial it might seem, but try to focus on policies and procedures rather than individuals. You’re supposed to be in school to learn things and prepare for the future you desire. What stands in the way between you and learning?

2. Find your focus.

From your list, pick an item that seems important to you that also might impact others. It should be something that, if you can solve it, will have a positive impact on the school (or beyond).

3. Consider your audience choices.

What are all the different groups that are affected by this problem? List them. There will be many. We call these people “stakeholders.” Which one seems both persuadable and able to make change? This is your audience.

4. Analyze your audience.

Which decision maker(s) are you going to write to? Why have you chosen them? Consider your audience’s needs, attitudes, and knowledge regarding your subject.

5. Make your case that a problem exists.

Write an argument that describes and illustrates the problem to the best of your ability without relying on any additional sources. This is only based on your experience, but remember what you know about your audience. What can you say that will persuade them to agree with you that this is a problem worthy of their attention?

You are not complaining. While you are working, feel free to feel your feelings and vent to anyone who will listen, but remember that, in the end, that venting is a pressure release, not an effective method of persuading an audience to take action to help solve the problem.

6. Improve your case.

What additional information and research will help improve your argument that this is a problem? What do you need to prove to your audience to be convincing, and what kind of proof do you need to find? Are your sources convincing and authoritative? Maybe you’ve got a good case, but for a different audience than you first settled on. Should you switch audiences? Maybe you should seek out some test audiences to see how you’re doing.

7. Create a solution.

As you research your problem, you will likely also find information on possible solutions. You probably have a few ideas of your own as well. What would be a good solution to this issue? How will you convince your audience that it’s a good solution?

8. Draft, revise, edit.

Now that you’ve done all this thinking, planning, and research, write a solution to this problem targeted toward your specific audience.

Revision will likely happen even as you draft and your thinking clarifies, but of course if an idea arrives that requires you to rethink something earlier, such as your choice of audience, you’ll need to revise accordingly. If you are connected to your material and considering your audience, your instincts will tell you if something seems off target. Listen to those instincts, and don’t shy away from digging in and fixing something you think needs it.

9. Title.

A title will be especially important here. One technique to consider may be the use of a title and subtitle where the title introduces the subject but primarily functions to interest the reader, and the subtitle clarifies the specific purpose of the piece.

“It’s Too Early to Learn: The Importance of Sleep in Academic Achievement.”

VERSION 2: LIFE EDITION

In the town where I live, they spent many months and many dollars remaking one of the main roads that runs north to south, going from two lanes in each direction to three lanes, with a big, raised median in the middle. We were promised it would enhance our lives, and to some degree it worked, allowing cars to move more freely, except at a couple of intersections, where they made the left turn lanes branching off the main three lanes too short.

Because of this, traffic often backs up as people are waiting in a lane that should be moving because they don’t have enough room to get into the turn lane.

I don’t know what it says about me that this makes me irrationally upset every time it causes me a delay, but it does. I want my town to remedy this situation.

This will be your task in this assignment: something is not as it should be and you wish it were different.

AUDIENCE

You are writing for the someone (or someones) who has the power to make the change you seek.

PURPOSE

PROCESS

1. Feel the hate.

Let loose all the dislikes you have about the way the world operates around you. Visualize your day. What are the problems? What could be better? Maybe it’s something at work or even in your own household. Write down everything you can think of, no matter how trivial it might seem, but try to focus on policies and procedures rather than individuals. You’re moving through your day-to-day life, trying to achieve certain goals. What prevents you from achieving those goals?

2. Find your focus.

From your list, pick an item that seems important to you and also might impact others. It should be something that, if you can solve it, will have a positive impact on the world beyond yourself.

3. Consider your audience choices.

What are all the different groups affected by this problem? List them. There will be many. We call these people “stakeholders.” Which one seems both persuadable and able to make change? This is your audience. In my case, maybe I want to rally the public to the cause. Or would it be better to petition the town council directly, since they’re the ones who have to ultimately make the change happen?

4. Analyze your audience.

Which decision maker(s) are you going to write to? Why have you chosen them? Consider your audience’s needs, attitudes, and knowledge regarding your subject.

5. Make your case that a problem exists.

You are not complaining. While you are working, feel free to feel your feelings and vent to anyone who will listen, but remember that in the end that venting is a pressure release, not an effective method of persuading an audience to take action to help solve the problem

6. Improve your case.

7. Create a solution.

As you do research into your problem, you will likely also find information on possible solutions. You probably have a few ideas of your own as well. What would be a good solution to this issue? How will you convince your audience that it’s a good solution?

8. Draft, revise, edit.

Now that you’ve done all this thinking, planning, and research, write a solution to this problem targeted toward your specific audience.

9. Title.

“I Can’t Drive 45 (Mph): The Dangers of Restricted Traffic Flow Caused by Inadequate Turn Lanes.”

REFLECT

How’d that feel? One of the things you should experience in doing this kind of writing is the sense of your growing expertise. You will know much more about your issue at the end than at the beginning of the process.

In the larger world, this is how knowledge is built. You aren’t hitting the reset button after every bit of work you produce. The process never ends. Each act builds on the last until, without noticing, you seem to possess some real expertise on a subject.

Take a minute to list the things you know now, having written your argument, that you didn’t know before.

Do you see any of this knowledge applying to other aspects of your life? Why? How?

REMIX

Same problem, different stakeholders. Pick another audience you might need to persuade. You don’t need to rewrite the entire argument, but in a short piece of writing describe any changes you might have to make to be persuasive to this different audience.

Do you need new or different evidence? Should the structure change? What about tone?

FAILURE

Failure is often treated like a dirty word, but it’s one writers should embrace.

I often tell students that writing is an extended exercise in failure. After they are done with their looks of horror, I explain what I mean.

In my head, I have the world’s greatest novel that would emotionally devastate readers to the point where all other writers would simply give up writing novels.

This very book, once again in my head, could transform the way we think about learning how to write, just as long as I approach the page in a way that communicates the vision I hold in my head.

Inevitably, something happens between my head and the page, and the power of my vision is diminished, and yet one hopes there’s enough of the remaining energy to make the final result worthwhile.

Failure is inevitable in writing, because regardless of what we’ve done, we’re always capable of achieving more. Even if we maxed out our abilities on a particular project, having done so means we have the potential to do even better next time.

When it comes to learning to write, the best thing we can do is embrace the idea that no matter how much experience we have, we are all novices. Writing will always be hard, and there’s no magical cutoff when we can no longer learn from our experiences.

Ernest Hemingway once said, “We’re all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.”

William Zinsser, author of one of the best-selling writing books of all time, on what it was like for him to write: “It was hard and lonely, and the words seldom just flowed.”

I’ve got a million of these. Annie Dillard, Pulitzer Prize winner: “I do not so much write a book as sit up with it, as with a dying friend.”

Embracing failure requires two things: (1) believing that we are our own best judges of what is or is not successful, even if someone else disagrees, and (2) being honest with ourselves about not only the quality and effectiveness of our writing, but the effort we’re putting into the work itself.

Our results will inevitably lag behind our intentions, but if we’re putting in the work, we will improve.

Failure is a great teacher. It’s no reason to feel defeated, particularly when measured against our own standards.

It’s encouragement to try again.