So Much in Common: The Truth about Editing and Bull Riding

Posted by John Hewitt on 6/18/2008 under Editing, Featured, Writing |

I’m an editor and publications production manager of longstanding, and I’m also a rabid fan of the Professional Bull Riders. There’s nothing I like more than parking my fanny before the television or on the bleachers and watching the boys and the bulls slug it out. This puzzles people who think editors are uptight characters who never turn loose of their dictionaries, but editing and riding bulls have a lot of similarities. Here are just a few:

1) In both editing and bull riding, you work in tight quarters with another individual who may turn out to be a sweetheart or may decide to stomp your guts out.

The bucking chute is a physical space, and the arena in which editor and writer work is a psychic space, but riders and bulls, and editors and writers, are pretty much on top of one another when they’re trying to get their work done. And in both cases, all participants are trying to get inside one another’s heads. The possibilities for stirring up trouble are endless. Some writers are easygoing and appreciative of editors’ suggestions, and some bulls just want to have their heads scratched when the ride is over, but both writers and bulls have sensitivities that astute people acknowledge and try to work with-or around. An insensitive editor (and there are some, unfortunately) may not break any bones, but broken and bruised egos go with the territory.

2) You have limited time to do your work, which never seems very long when you start, but it may end up feeling like an eternity.

All publishing projects have deadlines, and the deadlines always come too soon, but at least once in the process, an editor will wish it was all over. Right now. When a bull rider climbs atop a bull and nods his head to the gateman, that eight seconds may not seem like much, but sometimes it seems like forever before the buzzer sounds.

3) At some point, you will probably be covered with dust, or worse.

It’s a given that clouds of dust, clods of dirt, bull snot, and bullshit fly through the air when the gate swings open, and if dust is the worst you get hit with, you count yourself fortunate. Recently a ranked rider got thrown back into the chutes and emerged with a big bull pie stuck to his helmet. Editors generally don’t have to worry about that, but they will always find themselves buried beneath big piles of paper, and sometimes they get pelted with panicked messages or even profanity as the deadline looms. It’s all in a day’s work.

4) Technology helps, but in the end, it’s talent and training that make the difference.

Bull riding doesn’t require a lot of fancy equipment-a rider could probably get by with just a bull rope, a cowboy hat, and a set of spurs, and no amount of fiddling with these basics seems to make much difference in his performance. The great “Razor” Jim Sharp didn’t even wear chaps-he always rode in blue jeans. Likewise in editing-fast computers and access to the Chicago Manual of Style online may save some time, but in the end, it’s what you’ve learned and how you practice it, plus your innate command of the language, that determine your success.

5) When the ride is over, all parties go their separate ways and may never see each other again. Which can be a good thing.

In more than 20 years in this profession, I have only sworn twice never to work with an individual again, but it’s also not uncommon to have a wonderful experience working with a writer and then lose touch forever. As in bull riding, it’s the luck of the draw.

6) A perfect ride and good editing both look effortless.

When everything is right, a bull rider’s chin is tucked, his toes are turned out, and he stays over the center of the bull, rising when the animal jumps and settling back in exactly the same spot, free arm lifted in rhythm with the dance. A great ride is more than the sum of its participants. A good editor works the same way-s/he can make a good writer look great, a less talented writer look competent, and help a great writer become immortal. Good editing is seamless, invisible, and it always helps a writer sound exactly like him/herself-only more so.

——————–

Suzanne G. Fox is president of Red Bird Publishing, an editorial and production service in Bozeman, MT. Her blog on professional bull riding can be found at http://turnhimout.blogspot.com.

Share and Enjoy:

Claudine (3 comments) said,

As a former newspaper reporter, I have to say that I’m glad that I never had to edit others work at the paper. I can definitely see how editing for a daily newspaper like the New York Times, where I was an intern or the St. Petersburg Times, where I freelanced through college, could be like bull riding. Through that entire article, my prevailing emotions were fear and pity.

Claudines last blog post..Airport and Airplane Travel Tips Podcast
Morgan (54 comments) said,

Suzanne, thanks for the informative article about editing via bull riding. As I don’t know much about either (shhh…don’t tell the rest of Texas that I don’t know about bull riding), it was good to learn something new. Now I will have a better understanding of what editors do and how they think.

Morgans last blog post..Sustaining Your Soul
Marie Ann Bailey (52 comments) said,

Suzanne, what an entertaining post! I’ll never think about bull riding or editing in the same way again I particularly like your point that while technology helps, talent and training make the difference. Just like spell-checker is no substitute for thorough proofreading, all the bells and whistles that we get with our computers are no substitute for competency. Thanks for the great post. It was fun to read!

Marie Ann Baileys last blog post..Creating Your Own Writing Retreats
Ride ‘em, Cowboy! The Nexus Between Editing and Bull Riding « 1WriteWay said,

[...] go and read the rest of her post by clicking here. [...]
Suzanne (3 comments) said,

Goodness, folks, you’re making me blush. I’m glad you liked the post. As with everything else in life, having a sense of humor can help you get past the rough spots in your profession.
Leigh (31 comments) said,

Excellent metaphor, Suzanne! I now know more about bull riding than ever before, and I certainly had never thought of editing as akin to this sport. Now that I think about it, I could compare my editing/writing situation with football (in America, it’s called soccer). This is a fascinating diversion. “What is editing like?” Tooth-pulling, diplomacy (or not), coddling (or not), and the list goes on. But, as you say, the cream rises to the top. Best wishes and thanks for the fun post!

Leighs last blog post..The Music of Words and Other Matters
Lillie Ammann (86 comments) said,

Suzanne,
Thanks for this entertaining and informative post that resonated with me as an editor. I am a freelancer and usually work with the same clients from book to book so the only one that I didn’t identify with was going separate ways at the end of the project.
JoniB (64 comments) said,

Thank you for that insight! I’ve never tried to publish but if I was able to secure your services as an editor, I think we’d get along great.
Bucko (1 comments) said,

it’s the bull snot that gets me–that and the mass of foul matter or dead matter or those big stacks of huge floppy layouts that stick to your office shelves long after the project is over. I mean “over” of course. There’s a similarity. How do those bull riders clean their clothes? Thanks for the post! Hilarious and apt.

Buckos last blog post..51 Cowboy Facts; or, Continuing the Countdown
Suzanne (3 comments) said,

Lillian, I often work for the same clients from book to book as well, but the authors tend to change and often I lose track of them entirely once the job is done.

JoniB, I appreciate your comment. I think a lot of writers fear editors unnecessarily, but most of us really just here to help.

And Bucko! I was stunned when I started watching bull riding for several reasons, not the least of which was–I could not believe the amount of bull snot that got slung around! You’d expect bullshit, right? But bull snot?

I finally got to the point where I keep the proofs for a year after the project is done and then I shred them. Who needs all that paper around? What on earth did I think I needed to keep them for?

Fortunately for them, a lot of bull riders have sponsors who provide them with clothes, which is a good thing because 1) most of them dress like a eye test for color blindness, 2) a lot of them don’t make enough money to dress at all, and 3) it’s not uncommon for their clothes to get ripped up during competition. Just two weeks ago, one of the riders hit the dirt with a major wardrobe malfunction. He had to pull his shirt tail out of his jeans just so he could get up and leave the arena without us all knowing a whole lot more about him than we wanted to. To his credit, he thought it was funny.
» 51 Cowboy Facts; or, the Mythic Metaphor CowboyLands: From the Land of Cowboys to You; or, The Modern Buckaroo’s Guide to the World said,

[...] This post by Suzanne Fox, called “So Much in Common: The Truth About Editing and Bull Riding&#… galloped through my handy RSS feed tuned to all things cowboy, and as it is about Cowboy–or Bull Riders–that means I can add another fact to my 51 Cowboy facts list: [...]
Jeanne Dininni (98 comments) said,

Suzanne,

As a writer/editor, I can definitely identify with Point 4. Talent and training (or lack thereof) undoubtedly reflect on the editor’s — and even the edited writer’s — credibility. They can even make or break an editorial or writing career. As a writer, I’ve at times been compelled to submit to the “red pencil” of a few members of the editing profession who were less talented — or perhaps more busy — than they should have been for the trust they had undertaken. Unfortunately, this has generally led to a decrease in the quality of the piece.

Technology can only take an editor so far. After that, good judgment and real facility with the English language are absolute requirements.

Thanks for sharing your experience — and making some excellent points!

Jeanne
John Hewitt (751 comments) said,

Suzanne,

Thank you for contributing to my guest blogger month. It’s amazing how much bull snot you have to put up with in any job, freelancing or othewse.