My Worst Writing Assignment So Far, A Post Mortem

I had the roughest assignment last month. It was for an existing client that's one of my favourites and best paying customers but it was a new editor. What happened was unfortunate and probably mostly his boss's fault but most of all it was likely a learning curve for him combined with bad luck for me. The brief said it was a special assignment and it was different from what they normally asked for. I jumped on it right away as it was new subject matter that I thought looked interesting. Once I stared digging into it, I found it wasn't fun. It was dry and boring and hard to find information on. Then, I had some personal problems that threw me for a loop for well over a week. I asked the customer for an extra week which left me two weeks to get it done.

I have a great relationship with this company. I've worked for them for almost a year and have been asked to help out and take extra work more than once and have NEVER had to do a rewrite and never had them complain.

I toiled over this assignment and had a few e-mail conversations with this editor. He calmed my fears and told me I was overthinking it. I sent him some samples of what I'd done so far and he said I was on track. Great, I thought. I trudged through it and got it done. He said they were good and gave me a few pointers for next time and that was it. It was long and hard and not at all fun but it was done. Right? Ofcourse not.

I got paid. The money got spent.

Then, a few weeks later I get great news about a client who wants repeat business because they loved my last project and am on cloud nine. The next e-mail after that is from this editor. I find out his boss says they aren't what they're looking for. They want them rewritten. My jaw must have dropped.

By this time I've already thanked the Lord that I finished the assignment from h, e, double hockeysticks and now it's come back like a mystery smell? Nooooooooooooo!

I was a wreck for the rest of the day. I was actually grief stricken.
I talked it over with my mentor and she told me I should charge them for the extra work. I didn't think I could, I'd already asked for an extension and a bunch of hand holding on the assignment originally so I didn't have the confidence to go back and do that...besides I'd already spilled my regrets to the client out of being in shock which is like saying I was wrong. I vowed to talk to her before replying to a rewrite request again!

They needed rewrites within 1.5 weeks on an 8000 word assignment and I had a handful of other jobs on the go. And, I was nauseas at the thought of starting the project all over.

Short story long...a few back & forth conversations with the editor and I pleaded to be let out of it. I tried to look at them again but have you ever looked at something for so long and with such hatred that you just don't have it in you anymore? This is what happened to me for the first time. He wanted me to do the rewrite and told me I was over thinking it again. He doesn't know me from Eve but I guess I wear my heart on my sleeve because I DO over think EVERYTHING. I'm so analytical it could be borderline OCD.

Fast forward to a few more conversations about the project and...
Today he let me off the hook. I don't know if I'll ever get work from them again. He was nice enough but I don't know if he blames himself for not understanding the brief from his boss, for telling me I was on the right track or if he blames me because I must seem like a scatterbrain with zero confidence.

Not sure but I just want this one behind me!
After I analyze it ten thousand different ways, ofcourse.

Postscript: While spellchecking this, the editor came back to me and said 'no big deal' and suggested I learn from this. I did overthink it and I am not ever asked for rewrites so I guess I need to get a thicker skin.

Share your horror stories with me if you could. It'll be therapeutic for us both :)
Cheers,
Dana