Don't Justify Your Mistakes

Even today, I was having a document reviewed, and I had to bite my tongue. When issues or suggestions were made, my first instinct was to explain my thoughts or reasoning as to why I did things the way I did. But I held back, because it would have been a waste.

I wasn't trying to argue with my editor; I was trying to justify my mistakes. I knew that what she said was right and that I would have to make the changes. I simply felt like, somehow, she needed to know that I wasn't an idiot, that I wasn't a bad writer, but simply had a different idea that caused me to write this different text.

Still, I would have wasted my breath to do all of that. Such an explanation would have wasted time and changed nothing. My editor knows me and respects me, as do I respect her. I don't need to worry about my image or what she thinks about me or my writing. If she really didn't respect it, she wouldn't still be editing it. And if she really had no idea why I did something, she'd simply ask. These little thoughts are important to remember so that I don't put my foot in my mouth.

If somebody is making suggestions for your writing, it means they want you to do better. If you agree with them, make the changes. If you don't, just ignore them. Unless it escalates to an argument, you never have a need to justify what you wrote.