Don’t get the reputation of being a writer who takes the client for a ride. There are cases where the client has parted with confidential information about a product and a writer has threatened to sell the information unless he was paid more. The trouble is, the Internet today has a great way of dealing with these cheats – you’ll find so many clients putting up diatribes against writers who held them to ransom. Don’t become a part of that list – you’ll never be able to wipe that stain off.

This goes beyond just telling a client you know everything about a topic when you don’t. It means that if you are a writer, don’t tell him you’ll get his website done as well – not unless you know how to do it. Stick to your area of expertise and do it well. If you venture into new fields, make sure you know enough before you offer to do something along those lines for a client. The same with areas like SEO, directory submissions or anything that you are not yet comfortable with. The client is not paying you to experiment. He’s paying you because he thinks you know how to do whatever he’s asked you to.

Did we say deadlines are sacrosanct? They are and so is being realistic. If you can’t understand head or tail of a topic, try not to tell your client you’ll do a brilliant job for him. Over promising leaves an aftertaste of disillusionment in its wake. Always try and give a client a little more than he expects and you’ve got a client for life!

A client might be giving you work because he likes the way you write, because he trusts you or because he knows he can count on you. You have an awful lot of work to finish off so you think: Why not, let me advertise on the Internet and give out some of it. I’ve always found it’s better to check with the client first. That way, he knows that you are outsourcing it and it won’t be a shock if he finds out. The virtual world is much smaller than you think – there are many professional freelance writers but you tend to bump into each other at some point of time in cyberspace. Ask if you can outsource it – many clients will be okay with that as long as you run your eye over it before sending it to him.

They pay you so try and accord them the loyalty that is their due. If you can’t be loyal to your client, don’t work for him. You don’t have to like a client but you need to be loyal. This means no recycling the work you have done for him and which he has paid for and sending it to someone else. It means no bitching about him to other clients – yes, even if it means you don’t really like him. He’s paying you – reciprocate the way you should. You’ll find that your clients stand by you for years.

Well, this should be your guiding light most of the time. There are times when a bit of fluff and sizzle is needed otherwise writing, like life, can be a bore. However, there is a time for fluff and a time when fluff should be banished from your writing. More often than not, the latter state is where you need to be.

Deadlines are just that - lines that you wouldn’t cross unless you are dead. Treat deadlines as sacrosanct and you’ll never have to worry about time management. You won’t have to worry about losing clients either. There’s a certain comfort level with a provider who always sends back the work on time.

If you look at your work objectively, you will learn to be more critical and make the necessary corrections. You’ll find that when you are critical, others need not be because you’ve raised the bar and given them the best.

So easy to do in this world of information at the touch of a button. Don’t, please don’t yield to temptation and pass off someone’s work as your own. The time of reckoning always comes round, if not sooner then most definitely later.

Now this presupposes a few things. It means you can write, maybe write well – or rather hopefully write well. It means you have to say the same things better than most people would say them. It also means that you are proud of what you do so you make sure that only the best goes out. Treat your writing like it is a craft and you’ll be proud of every word you write.