most writers don't know how to read their own work objectively.

My editor is being nasty.”

And then the writer fired the editor. True story.

The editor had left a comment on Chapter 7:

“This chapter is beautifully written, but it doesn’t move the story forward. Consider cutting or merging.”

The writer:

“I don’t think you understand my voice,” he said. “You want to butcher my book.”

The editor:

“I’m not questioning your writing. I’m questioning the function of this chapter.”

Silence. Then:

“You are asking me to delete something I worked on for weeks.”

The editor tried again.

“I am asking what changes because this chapter exists.”

That was the end of the conversation. The baffled and pained editor was let go. The chapter stayed. So did the problem. The story suffered, and so did the author.

The thing is, writers don’t get defensive about editing because editors are cruel or nasty. They get defensive because most writers don't know how to read their own work objectively.

So everything feels personal.

A comment like:

 “This scene is slow” sounds like:

 “You are boring.”

A note that says:

 “This character’s motivation isn’t clear” is heard as:

 “You don’t know what you are doing.”

And the worst one of all:

 “This can be cut.”

 Which writers hear as:

 “Your effort was pointless.”

So writers do one of two things. They fight every edit.

“But that’s how I feel.”

 “But that really happened.”

 “But I like this sentence.”

Or they surrender completely.

“You are supposedly the expert; do whatever you want.”

Neither helps the book.

Because editing isn’t about liking or disliking sentences. It’s about intent.

An editor isn’t asking, “Is this well written?”

 They are asking, “What is this doing for the reader?”

Does the scene reveal something new? 

Does it change the stakes?

Does it deepen character?

Does it earn the emotion it’s asking the reader to feel?

When writers don’t know how to ask these questions themselves, editing feels like a personal attack.

But when they do understand editing, a lot can change. The conversation changes from:

“Why are you changing my writing?”

to:

“Ah. I see what the reader is missing.”

From:

“You are killing my voice.”

to:

“This part is indulgent. It can go.”

From ego…to clarity.

Editing knowledge/literacy doesn’t make writers less sensitive. It makes them less defensive. It gives them the confidence to disagree intelligently. To accept feedback without collapsing. To protect the story instead of individual sentences.