It’s interesting to stop and reflect on what you’re willing to accept in life, what you’re not, and how life can radically change the balance between the two. We’ve both had to reevaluate our lives and everything in them over the last year; there are just some things you’re willing to put up with as a single person that you aren’t – can’t, won’t – with someone else in the equation and more to lose.

This morning I finally told a certain business prospect to go take a hike. For two weeks now we’d been going round and round on a possible copywriting project – their business website – while they niggled and henpecked and hemhawed and played out every bent, faded, word card from Negotiation Poker 101. Please: like I haven’t read those books, too. Don’t insult me.

After complaining about price (they wanted their project for half market value), delivery terms and timeline, it seemed that we’d come to an understanding and I offered to send them a contract. No need, they said, because they have their own.

That’s nice, I said. We’re not using it, but that’s nice.

And so then started a whole new round of quibbling and anal retentive paranoia. I have a clean contract; I’ve been doing this a long time, and you don’t survive long in this business without protecting yourself and at the same time being fair to your clients. Turned out, that wasn’t good enough for them. When we really got down to the bedrock of their issue, it came down to a clause in their “standard” contract – keep in mind, this is a startup, not IBM – that stated that the contractor (in this case, me) would indemnify them for any damages or costs that may arise from the work we do together.

Uh, no. That’s not going to happen, and here’s why: I’m a writer. I’m depending on the guidance and background information provided by the client to do my job; if there’s a problem, the worst I can contribute to it is a grammar slipup. If they provide me with plagiarized materials or anything like that, and I don’t know about it, and they get sued, I’m supposed to pay their legal bills? Give me a break, guys – when you stop huffing White Out and get serious, let me know.

Don’t get me wrong: I never would have signed that. But I probably would have spent at least another week arguing with them about it, instead of simply cutting them off and moving on. Too many risks. Too many warning signs. I can deal with making a bad client decision and taking the rap for it, but with Kristi involved, there’s suddenly a whole level of risk I’m not willing to play. Perhaps it’s just that “growing up” thing I’ve heard so darned much about over the years.

(On the other hand, we’ve recently picked up Grand Theft Auto 4. So what do I know?)