Writing for free

Following on from yesterday's post, here are some further musings on one of the topics touched upon.
Should writers consider giving their writing away for free? Yesterday I seemed to be arguing that any self-respecting writer should do no such thing, but of course it's not all as clear-cut as that. I'd be willing to argue that very few writers are in it solely for the money. If that were the case, quite frankly, most of us would probably be doing something else.
As a writer, you are constantly honing your skills as you write and many of us see our early attempts at writing, as "not quite worthy of payment" to start off with. In other words, getting published, seeing our name in print, getting our writing "out there" - these things seem far more important than getting paid, at least initially.
Ultimately there are all sorts of reasons why a writer, whether newbie or established, would choose to give away their writing for free, despite the sometimes long hours it took to create said work. If you are an aspiring writer, ask yourself this: why do you write and what do you hope to achieve from your writing? I confess I'm selfish. I write for the sheer pleasure of writing. This is what I love doing and even if I did not get published and never had a single reader, I would still write, cause it's what I enjoy most in life.
But, crucially, I also want to make a living from my writing.
If writing is a hobby of yours, you enjoying seeing your name in print, but that is where the story ends for you, by all means, you might choose to give your "work" away for the sheer pleasure of getting published.
If, however, you look to make some, most, or all of your living from writing, why start by giving it away?
Let's just say you have a lover (see, now I got your attention) and after a few months of wonderful sex, you turn around and say "OK, sweetheart, that'll be £100 an hour". S/he is in for a hell of a shock, if you do!
I realise most of us wouldn't actually, suddenly start charging our lovers, but my point is, if someone's already been enjoying something for free for weeks or months, the chances of you getting paid from that same source are very slim indeed.
Even if you start out in good faith - the publication you approach doesn't have the money to pay you yet, but they will "as soon as they are able to", I'd still say, don't go there. Why? Because if a publication, whether online or in print, that is dependent on good writing to survive, starts off with no budget for writers, then what is the likelihood of that publication ever succeeding?
Like most writers, I have at different points in my career, and for different reasons, written features or stories for free. Initially this was to get more experience, but with hindsight, this isn't an approach I'd recommend - 10 times out of 10 the publications that didn't have a budget for writers did not take off and are no longer in existence. Seriously, if you want to make a living from writing, but don't feel your writing is good enough to merit payment yet, then hone your skills until it is. Or indeed, test the waters and you might find that your perception of your writing is way too critical and you're better than you think.
Whether you write for love, for money or both (and the latter probably applies to many of us and most certainly to myself), ultimately it's your choice. No one can make you give away your writing for free.