At some point you'll need to let people know what you do, that you're good, and that you're worth paying. This is tough stuff, but if you don't do it you won't last long
Hey - did I mention that I'm not a lawyer? I'm not but that doesn't mean you can't look over variants of some contracts I've used in the past.
You don't ever want to work without a contract and you really really don't ever want to work without getting paid! And it happens! In fact, a good friend of mine was telling me over lunch the other day how he's getting burned right now because of "bank issues" from a client that's also a very good friend of his.
This guy has been a solo programmer for 28 years. He still put himself in a perilous position because he decided to take a risk. He ended up getting paid a little bit, but he's still waiting on the last 3 months of promised wages... don't do that to yourself...
Download these contracts and get to know them!