The problem with most writing jobs on the Internet is they are often done on the fly. You reply to a Craigslist ad or something from a writing website and soon you wash in a flurry of e-mails and fast deadlines.
When I first started freelance writing, I always assumed prompt payment from my clients. I mean, it was just how it worked. I did the job, they approved it and soon the money would magically make its way into my PayPal account. Woohoo! We eat for another day.
When I quit my job about five years ago to be a fulltime at home mom, I didn't realize how much I would miss the daily grind and making contributions to our family. My husband has just got a great new job and we both decided that if I wanted to stay home to take care of the kids, then I could.
One of the hardest things for a writer to do is recover a payment from a client. If you accept a job, then don't get paid for it, there isn't much you can do. Many times the jobs are Internet based and all interaction is done by e-mail.
When you're first starting out as a professional writer, it's easy to get seduced into saying yes to anything that comes along. You're in it to get experience and a portfolio started, so any job is a good job. Besides you don't know when that next job will come along.
When you're a freelance writer who does everything from blogging to website copy, you're bound to come across the occasional person that doesn't want to pay. I was lucky for many years and never had a problem, but then my first no-pay arrived.
He was a carpet salesman who had his own store on the coast and he was looking for some website copy. I found him through Craigslist, a common source for writing work, and after a few e-mails back and forth I took the job.
