[From the Archive] Triple Check Your Contract
And now back to our regularly scheduled postings:
I know this sounds like a no brainer, but you’d be surprised by how common an issue it is. It’s imperative that you double, triple, and quadruple check your contracts. Unfortunately, this week, I am a case in point. I didn’t triple and quadruple check a contract. This is my story.
I’ve talked about – around – the screenplay project I’m working on. It’s a work-for-hire piece that I’m getting fairly decent money on. It’s a contract I picked up through GURU – which is a whole other thing to deal with. I sat down with the client. We had a long talk, decided to proceed. In the process, I know we talked about this taking about 6 months. Two months for the research and first act. Two months for the first full draft. Two months for the revisions, if necessary. Okay… I met the first two deadlines. Took a bit of a breather last week while the client went over the draft and made notes. Then the crap hit the fan on Sunday night.
The client sent back the script, notes, and the final meeting to turn back over the research material and final pay out on August 24. Two weeks. Not two months. Great was the panic. I politely asked why the rush. He came back with “The contract says 120 days…” WHAT???!!!!???
I yank out my copy, and sure enough. Plain as day. “Completion of project not to exceed 120 days”. Insert great rivers of cursing here. Somewhere in my mind, I saw 120 days and thought Six Months. Guess what? 120 days DOES NOT equal six months. And now I’m on the hook for that. Fortunately, I have a supportive husband and a stubborn streak a mile wide. This will get done because it has to. Now there are also motivators — like getting the last payment (which is half the full contract amount) earlier than expected, a “reward” in place for finishing on time.
But…the downside? I still have commitments on my time. I have a convention this weekend. We have a major family event this week. I have a day job. I have this column. The key is time management, setting alarms, and just getting it done. I’ve done the minor revisions. I have three scenes to write and add, one to delete. I only have 30 minute lunches this week, so that’s where the alarms come in. My husband knows I get to do nothing else in the evenings until this is done. And for the convention? When I’m not on a panel or preparing for a panel, I’m very likely going to be at a table on the convention floor, working. So I can both participate fully in the convention and still meet the deadline.
It’ll happen. It won’t be pretty for me, but since this was my mistake, I will get it done. It’s what you do in circumstances like this.