The Writing Mechanic

Not too long ago, I was sitting in my car trying to figure how to fix a big problem. My car didn't want to start. I, being an okay mechanic, ran through the usual diagnoses to the problem to no avail. Why didn't the darn thing want to start? I could only ponder at what seemed an impossible question.

My struggle that day reminds me of what writers face when dealing with problems in writing.

Pieces of writing are very similar to cars. They consist of many different parts that must all work together in order to give the writing motion. When there is a break in the reading of a piece, this motion is lost. In such cases, a writer must diagnose and repair the causes for this lack of motion, very much like I was trying to do with my car.

Like mechanics working on cars, writers must use their knowledge of their craft in order to pinpoint problems within their writing. Sometimes the problems will be obvious, and other times they will seem invisible. In cases where a problem seems impossible to work out, a writer must sometimes consult a more talented writer. Consulting another writer is not much different than taking a car to the shop. Sometimes we, as individuals, do not have the tools or expertise to fix a problem ourselves. Having another set of eyes looking at our writing only increases the likelihood that our problems will be solved. Other times, the sources to our problems may lie right underneath our noses.

When I finally fixed my car, I discovered the problem had been something I had overlooked many different times. I had spent hours trying to diagnose what turned out to be a cracked distributor cap, a part that I had examined on more than a few occasions. My one mistake was that I wasn’t paying enough attention to detail. If there is anything to take away from my experience, it is the fact that a good mechanic doesn’t overlook anything.