Writer's Guidelines: Compensation or Karma?

When I first began submitting travel stories, I had little idea how to go about the task. Writing, on its own, is challenging enough. (I've been afflicted with a serious case of writer's block for about a month.) Writing for publication is another story...

Initially, I was so thrilled to see my first two stories published online (with a beautiful layout) at Vagabondish.com that I didn't seriously consider whether or not I should pitch them to a paying market. Later, when I received my first check (a $100 honorarium) for one of those stories, "Rite of Passage", published in the anthology The Best Women's Travel Writing 2009, I understood the importance of monetary compensation.