I'm new to freelance writing and I really don't know much about it. I have always enjoyed writing and have in the past couple of years gotten more serious about my own creative work (poetry, fiction, and now screenplays).

I wrote three articles for a small new travel magazine in November and early December. They have not paid me for the articles yet nor sent me my two free copies of the magazine. I have emailed back and forth (very kindly) with my contact there to see what's going on, to no avail.

Is it common to wait months to get paid for freelance work? I'm pretty pissed about this. I want to know what to expect realistically for future reference.