Today’s a vent day.
I swear this week New Orleans has nothing on my career when it comes to that sinking feeling. By six pm Monday I was emptying a bottle of Chianti. It wasn’t just work related, though that was a large factor. It was also Tivo related. Damn thing has a broken hard drive. The options are – buy a new one from the company, wait 7 days, then ship back the old one and get a refund; return the old one and wait for the replacement (14 days); or take it back to the store. No Best Buy here carries it any longer. Great. I wanted to watch Holmes on Homes or even What Not to Wear, but I would wait ten minutes for it to reboot only to see 3 minutes of television before it cut out again. Time to read.
Did you ever get that feeling that you’re about to lose a client? Try two. It’s not that the projects are going badly. It’s that the communication and the sense of an end has entered the picture prominently in one case, hazily in another. It’s why I’m glad I have a bunch of clients right now.
One is a funding issue – a perennial funding issue. That one will die of monetary consumption soon, no doubt. The other is a lack of response to direct questions on project particulars. The subject is avoided. I brought it up three times. That’s my limit. From there, it’s up to them to tell me what’s going on. I can’t let intuition and a dose of paranoia make me out to be a stalker.
Another project has turned from annoyance to frustration and right on to Lori’s Latest Nightmare. I won’t go into detail, but let’s just say there are too many hands on the final product, which is causing endless revisions and confusing messages among the various factions. Here’s where I will repeat the sensibility of quoting an hourly rate – I did on this project, and thank God I did. The time I’ve spent on this is double what I’d originally expected. And I will stress one more time that the more people jumping in on the editorial side, the less likely you as a writer will please any of them.
Luckily, other projects are going beautifully. I’m enjoying the work and the clients are super to work with. Fingers crossed that continues.
The latest unsteadiness in my client list tells me one thing – time to market. If I get busy finding more work now, I’ll be less affected should one or both of these clients disappear. I started last evening and will keep digging and tweeting and linking in to see who’s looking for help.
How is your week going?
I hate to write it out loud but my week's going … okay, thanks for asking.
I chased a BIG (but late) payment on Monday, it's going to be in my account on Friday (and I've received the hard copy remittance to prove it). I asked an editor if he had another project to replace one we lost, and he said yes – and it's bigger, so more money. I have all of my major articles in for the current magazine, so am getting on with those. My phone/internet company called yesterday to offer me a better package for less money for the next 18 months.
So, forgive me for gloating (although it happens so rarely I'm sure you will), yes, my week's going … okay. 🙂
Diane, your week gives me hope. 🙂 I'm glad things are going well for you! Gloat away, sister. It's rare we get the chance!
Most of my week's been caught up teaching the two workshops. I got a royalty check from one of the anthologies, which probably should go towards bills, but I'm treating myself to a pottery workshop instead. I've got to dig in and cough up two full-length plays in the next two weeks for my producer, and Confidential Job #1 just sent me assignments due on consecutive days, so that'll be a bigger invoice. Considering how few short turnaround projects I've worked on the past two months, that's a relief.
I've got the steampunk novella to finish, am juggling several fiction projects, and have those 15 pages' worth of markets to which to send pitches, so I'm trying to sort it all out.
If I can maintain stamina and organization, it'll be fine. Otherwise, I'm screwed.
I like that you're treating yourself, Devon. Sounds like things are going great for you!
With so many projects, I don't know when Devon will find time for the pottery workshop (which sounds like fun).
My week's been going well. And as much as I'd love to feel your TiVo pain, Lori, the TV-writer that I am has somehow managed life with no DVR. It's getting frustrating now, since my cable carrier (the only one in town) is shifting everything over to digital cable, and their new digital cable boxes only allow VCRs to record the channel currently on the cable box. Kind of defeats the purpose of VCRs. ARGH! Upgrading to their DVR package would double my cable bill. Sure, it's a tax write-off for me, but there are months when I might not have that extra money to cover it. Plus, it's the principle of the thing: They're decreasing services while hiking prices to force long-time subscribers into paying more just to regain channels (and recording options) the company has intentionally stripped from the lower-end plans.
Sorry. I start ranting when I discuss cable. Yes. I wrote a very pointed letter to my carrier's new regional VP of "Customer Care." The first thing I pointed out? I'm a SUBSCRIBER, not a customer. Subscribers have real monetary value that mere customers simply don't possess.
Sorry – started ranting again. At least I didn't get started on how their representatives mislead the subscribers….
Somehow I doubt my complaint letter will get them to upgrade me to the DVR service for free.
First of all Lori, the clients that disappear will be sorry!
Hard drives…. arghhhh
and you demonstrate why ongoing marketing is a must.
Paula, I feel your pain. Actually, Tivo (which worked error-free for us for four years) comes with a "lifetime" subscription option of $299. It's for the life of the unit. Or you can opt for monthly service, which I think is around $14.99 or something.
Anne, I need to hire you as my personal cheerleader/advertising guru. 🙂
For me, my biggest pain in the a** is our insurance package. Hubby's workplace changed to a different package and my ongoing meds and my specialist visits have gone skyhigh from the price I paid before this all went down.
For the last month, I've been filling out tons of forms for various support systems to help pick up some of the slack. The last week has been spent playing phone tag with some of theses reps to ask and answer questions. When this is over, I'm taking a vacation.
Wendy, I'm right behind you. Carry-on luggage only!
My week is going pretty well. I was supposed to start moving forward on some work for a new client, but that's been rescheduled. I have another call tomorrow to talk about a regular blogging gig. Also received a very nice, encouraging response from an editor to my follow-up email, so I'm sending my samples. All in all, not bad!
I've definitely got one of these types on my hands right now: "One is a funding issue – a perennial funding issue. That one will die of monetary consumption soon, no doubt." The writing's been on the wall for a while. Although the idea of losing what once was a reliable and lucrative monthly gig pains me slightly, they've been so slow paying over the last nine months that I'm almost better off.
Sara, sounds pretty good! Any time they send an "encouraging" response, it means you've connected and there's a good chance. Good luck!
Kathy, I hear you. And I think you're totally right – you'll be better off. Watch other things open up for you the minute that one disappears.
Funding issues can't be worked out too well. I wish they could be, but there are only so many concessions we can make, right? I'd rather they drop me than keep me hanging on and not pay in the end.