A lot of the recent reader queries that have been landing in my big ol’ Question Queue have had to do with the professional writer’s life. The recession has not been good to the media industry, and as staff positions dwindle at the dailies and the glossies, novice writers are competing head-to-head with veteran journalists for plum freelance jobs. As a professional freelancer myself, I thank my lucky stars every day that I can afford to do this full-time. I’m not sure I’d recommend this line of work to anyone at the moment, but I also know firsthand that there’s nothing that’s going to stop someone who’s determined to turn a passion into a career.

The least I can do? Offer some guidance and advice from those who’ve been there, written that, and survived to tell their story. On Fridays, I’ll be publishing interviews with writers, answers to frequently asked questions, and updates on my bookproposal-writing process. (It’s a way of keeping myself accountable, too!) The most common reader-submitted queries will be included in the interviews as well, so if you have a specific question that you’d like answered, let me know in my Question Queue.

Know someone who’s found success as a writer? I’d love to interview them about their work! Email me at lena[at]lenachen[dot]com.