Ten years ago I decided to become a freelancer for a while, to see how it goes. I was good at writing, but my job back then had nothing to do with creating texts. The company I worked for went bankrupt, and until I could find a new job, I wanted to see if I can find some writing projects online.
A Private Message
I began using websites for freelancers. I didn’t have much success, but one day I received a private message from a woman who said she is creating a website and she needs some how-to type of articles about gardening and home improvement. She said that she has seen my profile and I would be a good fit for the project.
I was delighted because the project was in niches that I like and it was hard to get projects through bidding as a beginner, especially because I didn’t have a portfolio yet.
I Was So Naive
I was young and naive and I didn’t think too much about payment. I just wanted to write, to see myself working on my first freelancing project. The woman who was giving me the project was very nice and communicative. She even talked to me on Facebook. She was so nice and I didn’t suspect that she could scam me.
The articles were not that long. Some were greater than 300 words, others were over 500. I sent her the first article, she made a few corrections here and there, taught me about some SEO optimization rules and she said that she is pleased but will send me the payment after I send more articles because she wants to pay all at once.
I finished 5 articles and sent them, but she kept delaying the payment. She said to write 5 more and the project was done for now. I know, it was silly to send her the second pack of articles without receiving any payment. After I sent her everything, she suddenly disappeared from Facebook and she stopped replying to my emails.
The Lesson I Learned
This situation is not so dramatic. It could be seen as an “internship”, meaning that I practiced writing and I got feedback for free. This is what I was telling myself to justify this horrible stealing act.
It doesn’t mean it didn't hurt. I was devastated that I didn’t get money after a week of work. Since it was my first experience with freelance work, it left me a bad taste. I didn’t quit though.
I kept going forward and eventually, I made some money freelancing, but not enough to fully sustain myself and it was too much grinding. I was shortly back to a 9 to 5 job.
Sometimes life teaches you lessons the hard way. It happens when you are too naive and believe in people too much. I learned my lesson. I never wrote again for clients without first giving me an advance payment or a guarantee.
