It does. She’s the master at cutting down on time-wasters!

Time to start charging an additional fee for each extra call?

Sounds very Devon, doesn’t it? But I bet it cuts down on the amount of requests for time-wasting calls.

It’s a subtle distinction, Paula. There are plenty of lazy people trying their hand at writing. There are plenty of writers not adopting a business-owner mindset.

Freelancers have to be more proactive, don’t we? My most frustrating moments are when clients have to have conference calls to discuss the last conference call… the loop of Hell. I remember in one case, I offered to “put together a quick draft” just to get the ball rolling in the right direction (I hadn’t budgeted time for four conference calls). It’s easy to keep kicking the can down the road when you’re collecting a paycheck.

Self-employed writers don’t have (or want) that luxury.

It’s like a friend who boasts about being an independent, self-sufficient woman, yet turns to her mom several times a year to pay for some or all of unexpected costs. Riiiight. That’s the very definition of co-dependency.

Much like the employee-employer mindset.

Freelancing should be more symbiotic.

I’d make a poor employee, not just because I don’t like being bossed around, but also because I wouldn’t want to wait for approval to make necessary changes. Freelancers are, or should be, more proactive than someone waiting for instructions.

Amen, Cathy! Exactly the a-ha moment we all need to go through.

Mine came when I had a particularly belligerent client dictating how I would structure my workday and weekend to accommodate her procrastination. Three weeks after the project was handed in, and three days before her deadline. The weekend my daughter had a graduation party here at the house. And she knew I wasn’t around for that reason. Her last of four messages on my answering machine said “I wish you’d given me your cell phone number.” You, crazy woman, are exactly the reason I don’t give that out.

That’s when I knew I had to put up my boundaries and defend them.

The other way some freelancers act more like employees is they don’t question or suggest other ways to approach a subject. Smart clients appreciate a writer who brings more than the contracted words.