Writers and Engineers

I’ve been a mechanic all my life.

I say that because I’ve always liked fixing things and my first toys were Tinker Toys, Legos, and an Erector set. The Erector set is how I gained the finer motor skills it takes to work with nuts, bolts, and screws at a very early age. Over the years I obtained many more tools, toolboxes, and the knowledge and skills to use a wide variety of tools. My dad had lots of tools and I used his tools and helped (also hindered) him from time to time when I was growing up. My mom taught me how to read. Reading became an integral part of being a mechanic for me. It is entirely possible to become a talented successful mechanic without knowing how to read at all. Some musicians have successful careers playing by ear. In either case, not reading could prevent opportunities to perform. It may not be a problem for them, but in my case there would have been no way in the USA for me to become an aircraft mechanic without being able to read.

I also always fancied the idea of being a writer but my life gravitated more in the direction of being a mechanic. Now I’m retired and discovering writers and mechanics may have a lot in common. Writers use words as their tools and computers, typewriters, and desks as their toolboxes. Their toolboxes store their words (tools) until they are ready to be used. The writer uses their knowledge and skills they acquired over likely many years to manipulate their words to form, create, and repair (edit) sentences, paragraphs, and documents using fine motor skills not unlike those of a mechanic.

Interestingly, mechanics work with and sometimes become engineers. Engineers, design machines and devices that mechanics work on. Scientists develop ideas and formulae that engineers use in their designs. In a similar way, I use words on a basic level to form, create, and repair (edit) sentences, paragraphs, and documents, but not to the level of a professional writer. A professional writer may have started writing when they were very young similarly to the way I started as a mechanic. A professional writer is to me like an engineer is to a mechanic. There absolutely can be overlap and I’m sure some people are extremely talented as mechanics and writers, but as is often the case our career paths may dictate our destinations.

Scientists (I’m grouping them against their will) and physicists often fit the categories (with some overlap) of theoretical and experimental. Since I’m probably already offending large swaths of professionals; psychologists and psychiatrists might be to the professional writer what a scientist is to the engineer.

I like my analogy and while I don’t have the background to declare with absolute certainty what writers, engineers, psychologists, etc. really think about all this, for me at least it is an interesting thought.