Calling in Sick
It happens – you get sick right about the time your big deadline hits. And unless you’re sporting super-human powers, you just can’t work with a fever/flu/cold/etc. Yet there’s that work, waiting for you. More often than not, the deadline is something you’ve carefully budgeted time for – given a healthy constitution.
There are a few things you can do when sickness strikes. If you the deadline is not pressing (meaning it’s not a magazine where production would be hampered or a client with a printer on hold waiting for your work, etc.), get a note or a call off to the client ASAP. Let the client know your situation briefly (please, refrain from describing the results of Montezuma’s Revenge-type symptoms) and let the client know when you expect to be able to get back to the project.
If, however, you’re deadline is critical, it’s time to call for backup. You have a stable of writer friends (or you should – it’s necessary for your own sanity and for professional connections and advice-swapping). Call one or two. Beg for help. Offer a fair split of the fee. For instance, if you have 80 percent of the work done and your writer friend needs only to look over your notes and fill in the rest, that’s an 80/20 split. Make the fee split fair – you don’t ever want to lowball your support group. If anything, share more than necessary. Your colleague will remember and appreciate both the work and your fairness.
It’s never acceptable to miss a deadline. If your only option is to work as the meds kick in, do it. It’s not just the deadline on the line – it’s your reputation as a reliable person.