Trying to master the fine art of negotiating

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The past few days have been stressful. Things are going well with the blog, I really should take a minute to thank everyone who reads regularly. I am humbled and extremely surprised you enjoy my work, and I thank you for your interest and support. That’s not the stressful part, that’s the awesome part.

We’d come to the point in this venture where I was either going to have to make a living writing full time, or go back to nursing full time. Owner/operators are getting the crap hammered out of them right now, fuel is crazy and getting crazier. We can’t have one income and keep the truck, the house, the car and groceries, and we don’t want to give the children away, so I had to do some full time kind of work thing.

Without going into too much detail, I ended up having the opportunity to work as a writer full time. I know how extraordinarily lucky I am, and I’m eternally thankful for the offer. Coming to a final package involved a little negotiating, which I’ve discovered I’m dreadful at. If I have to do it again, I’m going to let my drunk neighbor do it for me. It was extremely enlightening, but unpleasant work. My husband was able to be home for most of it but he had to leave before I officially accepted my offer, so I called him with the final details.

“It’s done. I accepted. They’re going to get a contract together this week.”

“Wow. I’m so proud of you, babe. That’s awesome.”

“I asked for exclusive rights to all Sasquatch interviews.”

“No you didn’t.”

“I most certainly did. I can’t think of anyone more qualified to talk to Sasquatch when the time comes.”

“Babe, really. Those guys probably aren’t used to people asking for things like that. Don’t freak them out.”

“Listen. This is the first contract I’ve ever had for any real amount of money. It’s going in my scrapbook, and when my great-grandchildren look at it, I want it to have a Sasquatch clause in it. I don’t think it’s too much to ask. And, when Sasquatch finally has to come down out of the woods to ask for some natural resource we’ve gobbled all up, I am totally going to talk to him.”

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“No you won’t, you’ll be afraid he’s going to eat your face off and hide in the truck.”

“That was BEFORE I had a contract with a Sasquatch clause. It changes everything.”

“Oh it does?”

“Yes. Now keep your eyes peeled, if we get a picture of him before the Great American Trucking Show next year, we get extra burritos.”

“I can’t even tell you how afraid I am to ask what that means, so I just won’t.”

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