Paying it Forward

In the spirit of Blogger Appreciation Day as declared by Darren Rowse at Problogger, I have a few people to thank. These are writers and bloggers that have inspired me and helped me in my journey of freelance writing.

1. Dana Prince—I am thankful to Dana for her inspiration and friendship. She has been a great mentor as well as a great friend. You can find Dana at The Writer’s Blog, Cook it With Love, Healthniche, Momphabet Soup and her professional writing site, Dana Prince Writing Services.

2. Courtney Ramirez-I am thankful to Courtney for her encouragement and willingness to offer advice as needed. She is a very smart lady and I have learned a lot form watching her do what she does best. I am glad that Courtney has decided to keep her blog Web Writing Info.

3. Sue LaPointe-I am thankful to Sue for her great advice and encouragement. She is full of lots of great information on making the writing process more profitable. You can find Sue at Working Writer, Happy Writer.

4. Deb Ng-Deb is an excellent resource for all things related to blogging. She is an inspiration and willingly helps others to get a handle on the blog world. I am thankful for her willingness to help me in the past off-boards and willingness to share what she knows with others each and every day. A few of the places you can find Deb are at Freelance Writing Jobs , Network Blogging Tips , Cookerati , and She Know Parties .

5. Violette DeSantis—This will come as a surprise to Violette, but I am thankful for her encouragement and support. She is a great friend that I have made in the writing world. You can find Violette at Big Shoes and now at Her Christian Blog .

Thanks again ladies for all that you do! You are truly inspiring and have each helped to motivate me to become a better writer.

When Work Doesn’t Go As Planned

I’ve been a busy bee lately and have been doing a lot of work. Some of what I am doing will pay off in the future and the dividends will be great. It has been fun to do and joyful with great possibilities. I absolutely love it.

However, some of the work that I have done has not been as fun and has been sort of a drudgery to complete. To make matters even more complicated, I haven’t been paid for the work that I have completed, despite the clear terms set out in my contract. I am finding it difficult to make myself want to do anymore work on a project that I am beginning to doubt.

So, what does a writer do when they are losing faith in a client and the project they are working on? I’m really not sure. I know that some would tell me to cut my losses now and move on. However, one of the projects will be entirely completed by the end of April. (Although payment was due the 1^st for any work completed last month according to the terms of the signed contract.) Should I just hang in there and if payment is not received upon completion take action? Part of me wants to at least complete that project and then not do any other projects like it in the future. I really don’t enjoy it. But I did commit to doing this project. Hmmm…decisions, decisions.

The other project is an on-going one that was supposed to be very profitable. The articles are tough to write, but the rate is fair. I put a lot of effort into writing them. To not be paid for them is making me nervous. Should I with-hold future articles until I am paid for the past ones? Part of me says yes. Part of me says to give it a couple of more weeks.

The frustrating part about this client is that they paid me for another project that I work on regularly. I have tried inquiring, but they haven’t been returning my e-mails. This probably should figure into my decision and I am not sure where to cut it off. I enjoy the other project that I did receive payment for and do not want to damage the relationship with the client. I hate being put into a position like this and I don’t want to make a wrong decision.

So what would you do in my situation? I am looking for guidance and counsel from my colleagues. How much is too much and when is enough, enough? As time goes on, I will let you know what action I have decided to take and what happens. Thanks for your help!