Words on the Page

a freelance writing resource.

Writers, Work, and Weddings

What’s on the iPod: Magnificent by U2

Today starts a week we’ve been waiting for. Five days from now, my youngest will become a married woman. But until then, there is much to do.

At this writing, I am printing wedding programs. After I write this post, I’ll be marketing for an hour, then stapling programs. Then it’s on to a small project for a client before I go into wedding favor production. Thankfully, it’s not my night to cook.

The bride is getting jittery. The groom is tired because he’s making the party favors, and it’s a production. I’ll post a photo once the wedding is over. It’s to be a surprise, so I can’t reveal just yet.

In six days, we go into wedding mode again. Stepson’s wedding is the following weekend. We’ll have family in town, entertaining to do, and hopefully we’ll have a new deck and patio (or one of them). It’s a lot of activity at once, but totally worth it to see these kids happy.

Amid all this, I have to work. It’s a slow month so far, but I suspect things will pick up on Thursday. Why? Because that’s the day before we head to the wedding venue, the day my daughter is home, and the day I have the least amount of time. I don’t know who Murphy is, but his law is kicking my arse.

So what happens if that must-have project comes in when you’re busy? Here’s what I do:

Get it done. We think we have no time until we need to find it. There have been projects that have come in in the eleventh hour, and I’ve overestimated the amount of time needed to get it done. Sometimes, it is just an hour.

Ask for more time. Sometimes it’s more than an hour, and it’s time I clearly don’t have. In those cases, I ask if it’s okay to push it back one day or the weekend. Most deadlines are arbitrary. Feel free to test them when you need to.

Do some of the work. In one case, I gave the client a quick revision on a smaller part of the project (a press release) and got an extension to finish the accompanying article a few days later. If you’re facing a multi-layered project or a series of projects, arrange to complete the more critical ones first (if you can).

Pass and/or refer. I rarely pass on work, but there are situations in which time is not there. That’s when trusted colleagues get a call or an email. Once I passed on the work because it was very specialized and the time just wasn’t there. It’s okay to say you have no time and why (clients appreciate knowing personal snippets sometimes — it humanizes you). They will come back if you’ve been reliable in the past.

Writers, how do you handle that last-minute request?

8 responses to “Writers, Work, and Weddings”

  1. Jennifer Mattern Avatar
    Jennifer Mattern

    I really don't know how you do it. I remember how crazy things can be with wedding planning especially with two so close together (remember how insane I was dealing with mine plus my brother getting married two weeks off?). I don't envy you. I hope they're both beautiful though and that you get to enjoy quite a bit of downtime once they've passed. 🙂

    And great tips on the freelance front! I've used a mix of these tactics in the past, and they all have their place. I've found that most clients are extremely flexible, and the ones who aren't often don't use the work on schedule anyway when the project is completed (sometimes waiting months to release something simply because they lose track of time). In many cases they're happy to wait a bit to get the writer they want. And worst case, I refer the work to someone else. The client often still comes back for something else later. And if not, I don't worry about it. The more referrals you give, the more you tend to get, and it all balances out in the end. 🙂

    Reply
  2. Paula Avatar
    Paula

    I've referred projects to other writers when time is too tight for me to accept another project. But I've found some clients will give you extra time when they know you're busy. Many will wait an extra week to get your full attention instead of fragments of your time.

    I know one writer who would rather write herself into the grave with too much work than risk losing a client to another writer. It's a two-way street, but that writer is a road hog who thinks it's a one-way street. Guess which writer I'd be loathe to refer to a client in need?

    Reply
  3. Lori Widmer Avatar
    Lori Widmer

    Jenn, I'm not sure how I'm doing it, either. Right now, it's kind of all up in the air and somehow juggling just fine. 🙂

    Paula, the weird sense of competition among writers never made sense to me. We work differently, and there are more than enough clients to go around. I'm inclined to think that if my client decides to work with a different writer, then that writer fits better. Maybe your writer friend is thinking she's being talked down to her clients? If so, she needs new friends AND new clients!

    Reply
  4. Eileen Avatar
    Eileen

    In my experience, 99% of deadlines are arbitrary and/or negotiable. If you have an ongoing relationship with a client, chances are they'll be okay with waiting a few more days. Most of them, in my opinion, would rather have the security of knowing they'll get a good quality product a few days later than ideal, versus scrambling to find an untested writer who can bring it in on a shorter deadline. I had a case last year where I wasn't free to take on a project for 6 weeks. The client welcomed my referral recommendations because they said they needed it ASAP, checked out my referred writers, and 6 weeks later still hadn't pulled the trigger … and when I checked back with them, I got the work.

    Reply
  5. Cathy Miller Avatar
    Cathy Miller

    I'm with Jenn. I don't know how you do it all.

    I also agree with the consensus here that most clients are pretty flexible, especially if they have been working with you.

    I have run across the occasional one who due to their own procrastination have an aggressive deadline. But you know the old saying, Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine. 🙂

    Reply
  6. Ashley Avatar
    Ashley

    As busy as you are right now, Lori, a little extra time to stay SANE is important! We always need to take care of our clients, but we can't do that at the expense of our own health and well-being. Great tips on how to juggle without going crazy. You're doing an exemplary job!

    Reply
  7. Paula Avatar
    Paula

    Lori, I think that writer friend is probably just a bit insecure. She knows there are a lot of good writers out there. Sometimes she might forget she's one of them. You'd think she'd realize her long-term clients are loyal to her for a reason: she always delivers exactly what they want when they need it. No one-shot substitute writer will ever match that.

    Reply
  8. Lori Widmer Avatar
    Lori Widmer

    Eileen, that's been my experience, too. When they push back, it's usually because their boss is wanting it yesterday.

    Cathy, that's a life-saving statement, isn't it? 🙂

    Ashley, staying sane is scheduled. 🙂 They're all at work now, and my workload is light, so I've got a date with a book later this afternoon.

    Paula, you're probably right. Her insecurity may be feeding that drive. I just hope she can keep reaching that high bar she's set for herself!

    Reply

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