My Brother and His Miata: An Example of True "Editing"

My younger brother Mikey and I are, and have always been, extremely close. He is my very best friend and I would be absolutely lost without him. We rarely argue and we enjoy spending time together, whether it’s watching movies, having deep and heartfelt conversations, going out to eat, playing Minecraft, or showing each other dumb things we find on the internet (among many other thing. We spend a lot of time together). He also attends NIU! Although we are similar in some ways, our personal hobbies and interest quite differ. My brother is incredibly passionate about cars. Mikey is always spending time working on his cars; he’s usually either fixing a minor problem or modifying the car to the style he desires. I’ll admit that even though I don’t understand everything he says, I really do enjoy talking to Mikey about his cars and the work he does. I usually make blog posts related to things on my mind or going on in my life at the moment. When I was brainstorming a topic for this blog post, I thought about Mikey and began to reflect upon the similarities between the way he works on his cars and how editors (and writers) edit.

I suppose one major way these scenarios are similar is that for both writers, editors, and Mikey, the work never seems to end. Many writers never seem completely happy with their work; they constantly create new drafts or changes to their writing. Editors may edit the same piece multiple times, with focusing on a different aspect of the document each time they edit. Mikey always wants to do this-or-that to his cars. He has so many plans, ideas, and goals for how he wants his cars to look and drive. The car he spends the most of his time on is his 1995 Miata. I cannot emphasize enough about how much my brother LOVES this car. It’s literally his pride and joy, his favorite thing in the entire world. He would probably spend every hour of his day either driving around in it or working on it. Since he first got it back in November 2017, he’s made multiple “edits” to it. He’s switched the headlights, changed bumpers, stuck on decals, lowered the body, changed the wheels, and so much more (he’s also done each of those things a few times). He is so proud of this car and experiences such genuine pleasure working on it.

All Mikey’s work and dedication to the Miata made me think of how hard editors, and writers, also work on their projects. Like a car, a complicated piece of editing has many different features that work together. All these parts have specific functions. If some parts are defective, broken, unsupported, or used incorrectly, the entire vehicle, or document, might not be fully-functioning. One major problem, or even a handful of minor problems, could mean an ineffective, problematic product. Editors help writers improve their pieces, while checking for any problems in content, grammar, references, inconsistencies, completeness, etc. The many parts of a car need to function properly, safely, and cohesively to make the vehicle drive. Like a car, some parts need to be replaced, updated, modified, checked, etc. within a document.

Visual appearance also matters for a professional-looking publication and automobile. External appearances can be reflections of who we are, or what things contain, on the inside. A consistent, completed, and visually-appealing document already sends a signals about confidence and credibility. Mikey’s Miata has many colorful decals and sharp, bright headlights. He also adds parts to the body of the car. These components represent my brother’s interests and personality. It’s hard to truly describe a person in a way where others understand who they are; it’s also difficult to obtain an accurate understanding or idea of a person you’ve only heard about. However, I do think the Miata and Mikey fit so well together. The car really does reflect a bit about who he is as a car enthusiast and person.

In terms of working on his car, my brother is both a writer and editor. When he begins a new task, he essentially “writes” his first draft. Sometimes it’s rough, but he’s able to step back and learn from his mistakes. Then, he keeps trying and persisting until he successfully completes the project he started. When Mikey does review the work he’s done, he’ll test out whatever he did to the Miata to see if it works. As he does this, he “edits” his drafts. Usually, Mikey knows where he made a mistake, the next step to take, or if he successfully completed his work the first time. Mikey is no expert on Miatas or mechanical work; however, he’s always trying and learning. Editors and writers are also always practicing their skills and learning from themselves and others.

There are a few other ways that Mikey reminds me of an editor. When he doesn’t know something, he always either talks to his more experienced car friends or a family friend, who’s a mechanic. If technical editors or writers need further clarifications about the content material they’re working on, it’s not unusual for them to contact the writer or a subject-matter expert. Each contact an outside source to answer their questions. Also, like many writers, Mikey occasionally faces some criticism or backlash for the things he does to his cars. Although he usually ignores it, sometimes it gets to Mikey because, honestly, some of the people who diss his car are unnecessarily rude. There’s nothing wrong with offering “constructive criticism” or personal opinions, but these people are just so mean and snarky about it. Many writers feel that their writing is a reflection of themselves as a person, so receiving criticism can be a sensitive and scary thing. I think the lesson one can take in both scenarios is that: not everyone will love or understand what you do. It never hurts to listen to others’ critiques and suggestions. However, you shouldn’t let anyone demean your passion or your aspirations.

I feel like I can confidently say that everyone with strong, personal interests functions like their own writers and editors. Passionate people spend a lot of time with their hobbies, talents, projects, work, etc. They constantly create new goals for themselves and work until those goals are met. Usually, they learn and take inspiration from others, whether it be professionals, celebrities, family, friends, coworkers, or others. These individuals are often very critical and attentive to the things they do. Even if twenty people offer them wonderful compliments and encouragement, the “artist” will still notice areas for improvement. The skills, precision, time, dedication, professionalism, and heart that define a great editor are not limited to editing alone; no matter what you love to do, the characteristics and skills of successful editing will be there for you.

(P.S. Mikey is also an awesome photographer—check out these beautiful pics of his Miata!)