Some thoughts on negotiation need writing down, because that's how agreements work.
Agreements end not with a handshake but a signature.
I learned why early in my writing career. I was taking a new job editing a weekly newspaper, and all that stood between me and my future boss was salary. I wanted him to match what I was paid in my last job. We were apart $5 a week. Newspaper salaries being what they were, this could have been a deal breaker.
"Well," he said, "I'm not going to argue about $5."
I thought he was conceding, and I had won the argument. So I took the job. But when I got my first paycheck, it came short of my expectations—$5 short. Every agreement has its checks and balances, and this check was what counted toward my bank balance.
Since then I've taken many other jobs. I've sat in on union contract talks. I've drafted vendor contracts. I've discussed community agreements with local businesses. Till I see a John Hancock, I'm never sure whether something has been agreed, or only promised.
