Here is the naked truth:
I have worked for a company over the las 20 years that has undergone upheavals. My job has been as a freelance author, contributing words to some of their greatest works. I have been paid a pittance for this over the years, but it was steady publishing and made me feel good about my writing. In a way they represented a crutch that propped up my writing career. In a way they represented a barrier guarding the way to truly spectacular and original fiction. I have written many stories for this group over the past few years. I have not been paid for a single one. This is despite contracts that require them to pay me. This is despite 20 years of hard service.
This is completely disrespectful.
This is also a symptom of a much larger life issue. People will walk over others if the path to do so offers less resistance than other options. I always feel as if I set myself up to be taken advantage of. Why else would a company decide to skip out on two years of payments to me?
So, another part in this long winding transformation is to get back to the motto ‘always forward’ Something Joe Pike and Luke Cage taught me over the years. Don’t look back and dwell on that life that included those people and their lack of respect. Move on. Earn it elsewhere.