Late Starts

What I’m reading: Justine by Lawrence Durrell
What’s on the iPod: One Last Drink by Enter the Haggis

Late start today. I went for tea this morning with a friend, then as I came through the door, he pulled me back out to go shopping with him. Then back here to put the final touches on a press release. I have to interview one more person for an article, but I don’t see that happening today. I can’t work from home when he’s working from home. We both require solitude. Our desks are on opposite walls. It’s just not happening today.

I’m still marketing like there’s no holiday coming, though I’m getting a lot of “out of the office” notices. No matter. I’m reaching out. It will give me one more reason to reconnect with these people after the holiday break.

We’ve talked endlessly about client issues, marketing stuff, etc., but I don’t think we talk nearly enough about what it takes to be a good writer to our clients. I’m not talking a talented writer or even a writer whom we can face in the mirror. I’m talking about a writer whom clients want to work with. So I compiled my own small list:

Good writers ask good questions. I could ask you a million questions, none of which pertain to you or your project. Or I could ask you a handful of questions that help me deliver a project you describe in a voice that mirrors yours.

Good writers communicate. It happened twice that writers I’d hired stopped talking. In both cases, they’d found the work too involved and decided to drop it. And in both cases, I had to scramble to find copy for a big hole in the magazine. Don’t be that kind of writer. Tell your clients if there’s a problem.

Good writers meet deadlines. Bad writers are consistently missing deadlines or worse, disappearing without a word. To be reliable is to be trusted with more work.

Good writers push back gently. If the client’s idea is awful, the writer should give feedback on the written portion of the project when they feel the project as it stands is detrimental to the client’s business or goals. Good writers view the project as a partnership. Having that vested interest brings out the best in many writers.

Good writers take the time to learn your business and your goals. A bad writer will throw together a press release or a brochure with the same worn-out wording that’s been used to death within your industry. A good writer will find those unique features of the business or client and make those shine.

What attributes do you think make a good writer golden for his/her clients?