Writers' Row

[gooch]

I've been overwhelmed with work recently (always a good thing!), so I started outsourcing some of my lower-paying projects. It's been interesting to see freelance writing from the other side, starting with weeding through the applicants all the way through editing their article submissions.

One question I have about the process that some of you might be able to help me with is this: How can I get writers to give me what I want without being overly nitpicky?

Ideally, I figured I would have to spend a couple of weeks working closely with the writers to get them up to speed on how to write the way my clients want. Then, after that, I would be able to turn them loose and have the articles flow in.

But that hasn't been the case at all. I've found that I've been spending tons of time editing for everything from verb tense consistency to content issues and low word count.

I know Deb has worked/is working in an editing capacity, and perhaps some of you others have as well. Is there any advice you can give me? Do I need to lighten up and stop expecting "perfection" for less than $10 per article? Or am I being reasonable in expecting these guidelines to be met with every article?

[arachnae]

I don't want to sound like a writing snob or anything, but if they're still not getting verb agreement right, they might not be very good writers. Word count is just sloppy - everyone can check word count on their WP and if they're turning in too-short articles, sounds like they may just be testing you to see what they can get away with.

Content is a harder call - that's pretty subjective. You might have to just accept that people aren't going to emphasize the same things you would and let it go; without examples, it's hard to say.
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[debng]

One thing I learned over the years is that other people don't write like me and I don't share the same vision. Realizing that helped me to be less of a nitpick.
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[Anya]

I'm not so sure nitpicky is bad - sometimes it is necessary for quality. The important thing is to pick your battles. In other words, is it a grammar rule or a subjective word choice? Something quantitative like a word count or a personal preference on sentence length?

If it is the grammar, or the word count, I'd demand the quality you require.
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