How Saying No Will Make You a More Successful Writer

Take control of your writing career even if you’re afraid of turning away work

Created by Jason McBride as a collage from images licensed from Canva

The client’s email had more red flags than a Soviet May Day military parade in the 1980s. The offer was far below my market rate on a per blog basis, and I could practically smell the entitlement through my phone.

But…

My worst experiences as a freelance writer always start with me thinking something doesn’t seem right and then talking myself into ignoring my instincts with that one word — but.

In this case, I felt uncomfortable with the deal, but I also saw the client was offering me a lot of money for a single project, and I had bills to pay.

I held my breath and agreed to the project.

It was Hell.

Partway through the project, I realized my hourly rate was horrendous. I was making a quarter of what I would normally make on a per hour and per blog basis. The client kept changing the scope of the posts I was writing. The numerous revision requests meant I ended up rewriting many posts two or three times. I began to resent the client, and I hated working on the project. I was working all day long and into the night every day.