by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
I was reading through my Feedly RSS feeds (I work and curate links about a month behind in the feed reader) and I came across a post by writer Steven Pressfield. It was one of those articles where I scheduled a share, but then saved the post to read more closely again later. It was called “Clueless Asks” and as soon as I read the title, I knew what it was going to be about. Because I get a lot of these asks, myself. In the post, Steven Pressfield explains that time ‘is the single most valuable commodity you own.’
Funnily enough, I was on another blog and they mentioned a post from industry expert Jane Friedman (and I’m laughing as I write ‘industry expert’ because that’s something she addressed in her post, as well). She wrote in response to “Clueless Asks” a post titled “If You’re Successful, People Ask for Help. But Who Deserves It?” She writes: “Today, even before I open my email, my blood pressure spikes thinking of all the requests, problems, and complaints I’m likely to find.” It’s a great post and mentions how she’s compromised in some instances to respect her time while still responding to requests.
These are different from opportunities. I’m good at saying no to speaking at far-flung events where I will have to spend money for gasoline or a plane ticket and a hotel without getting compensation. These other requests are, as Jane Friedman and Steven Pressfield put it, ‘asks.’ And they’re from people I don’t know.
I’m adding on to their excellent posts because I know writers (and several of them are regulars here) who are in the same boat. They want to help people who ask them for help. They’re overwhelmed with emails and requests. What can they do?
Just a quick note that this article is not directed at my readers or online friends who reach out. I never mind emailing and reaching out to either of those groups because they know me…either through my books/characters, my blog, etc. This is more how I handle asks from people I’ve never heard of who reach out.