As a freelance writer, it can be tempting to say yes to too many projects when you’re not busy. You can have a wildly unrealistic idea about how much you will be able to achieve in a given period. Once you’ve said yes to a project, then you have to deliver. But in order to do that, you need to set some priorities for your writing. Here are some of the questions I ask when deciding which work comes first.
1. Is this an existing client?
Repeat work is money in the bank for any writer – or any business. If a client has come back to offer work several times, then that client is valuable and I will try to meet their delivery requirements. Of course, if you have a great track record with an existing client, you may be able to negotiate wiggle room on a deadline. It never hurts to ask, and I have found that most people are reasonable if you have a good reason.
2. Is this a new client?
If you are working for a client for the first time, then you need to deliver what the client asked for on time. No exceptions. Just as you wouldn’t go back to someone who had provided a shoddy service, no writing client will come back to you if you fail to meet the brief and the deadline.
3. How does the client pay?
With a new client, one that has paid a deposit may take precedence over a client who hasn’t, because the one who has paid has shown that s/he really wants the job done. With existing clients, the ones that always pay on time are the ones whose work will get priority. I don’t think I’m giving away any secrets here.
4. How does the job match my work pattern?
If you are a morning person, that might be the time to do a job that requires more thinking, while you might leave a job that you can do in your sleep for the afternoon. Alternatively, you might decide to do a job that you can fly through first, because you will achieve so much more. I can write twice as much in the morning as in the afternoon.
Of course, another key issue for freelancers is knowing when to say no. Sometimes it is better to say that you’re fully booked than to say yes and find that you’re overstretched. It’s a lesson I keep having to learn. 
very good advice. I had to say no today to someone because I had oodles of work for the week and the job they were offering wasn’t too thrilling. If it had been exciting and well paying even though I was already swamped, I’d have been tempted to *try* to squeeze it in but it was ghastly and low paying and I’ve recently done two big rushes for this client so I didn’t feel bad turning something down that was last minute.
Yes, I’m debating calling a halt to one contract that falls foul of points 2 and 4, Dana. We’ll see how that works out. I think it’s important to set priorities and boundaries for your writing work.
Thanks, your site is very helpful. I’m just starting out and am afraid I’m not doing things right. I contacted some potential opportunities, stating my interest and also asking them for more information. I figured this way I could sort through scams and legit jobs and also give me time to decide which I’d go with. Meanwhile this lady sends me an email with everything I’d need to do a transcribing job for her company and am very interested in choosing this job of all the ones who contacted me back. Here is my concern and question, I let some time go by since hearing from her b/c I needed to take care of a stupid issue with the electric company. Should I get back to her, how much time is to much time passed when it comes to a job opportunity? Also, I never actually officially said yes to the job (although I would like it still, if available), so I also feel a bit guilty about not getting back to her. I always have problems with limiting what’s on my plate. Any feedback would be great, thanks.
Hi Eileen
There’s no harm in seeing if it’s still available – or whether there’s a new opportunity. It’s important to follow up within the right timescale or you can lose an opportunity, but sometimes life gets in the way, so don’t give yourself a hard time.