This has got to be the biggest controversy in the entire freelance writing industry. Many beginners think that they must acquire clips in order for an editor to take you seriously. Clips are excellent, but that doesn't mean you have to write for free. I learned the hard way from making the assumption that I needed to write for free to gain credibility. I sent an online magazine some essays I had already written.

The ''editor'' posted them to her site, promising future pay when she could afford it. After a ton of e-mails later, she sent me a message that said she was having problems with her web designer. She actually told me that she hadn't paid him, and as a result, he halted work. I couldn't believe what I was reading. I felt so insulted, and betrayed. Why was she paying her web designer, and not me?

Not only that, but she even told me that she stopped paying him! How could I trust her to pay me ''when she had the money''? I finally saw through her, and also halted work. I sent her a reply email telling her that I wasn't going to send her any other work until she could pay me. Not surprisingly, I never heard from her again. Luckily, the work I sent her were essays I had already written and I kept all rights. It could have been worse.

The Whole Picture:

I understand how it does not only affect my career, but every other writer's as well. If I don't value my work, who will? This is not a hobby for me, although it can feel like it sometimes. I have bills to pay and a family to feed.

If I could go back and do it again, I would have never even considered writing for free, unless it was for publicity. In my opinion, it is disrespectful to all writers, not just yourself. People who will attempt to get you to write for free will say anything to get you to do it. Well, that's my rant about writing for free.