Monte Burch is one of the nation's leading writers. He works in many different genres and is both a book publisher as well as a magazine writer. Monte is one of the most widely-read and prolific freelance writers in the nation.

QUESTION: How has the writing life treated you and your family?

ANSWER: The writing business has never demanded a starvation diet from us. We have been very fortunate. I already had a livelihood with my book sales and my syndicated strip. But all of the comic strip jobs were very grueling, a 24-hour-a- day job. Two of my fellow workers, national syndicated comic strip writers, quit about the same time I did. I gave up comic-strip writing because it put too much weight on my family and took too much time away from enjoying a good lifestyle. As a writer, you have the opportunity to have a fantastic lifestyle. You get to meet a lot of interesting people, whether you write in the outdoor field or not. You also can travel and go places. I've have had the opportunity to meet some of the most interesting people in the world. Some of the key movers in the outdoor industry where I mainly write have become serious friends of mine, and that's really important to me.

Check back each day this week for more from Monte Burch...

• Day 1 - In The Beginning
• Day 2 - Becoming Successful
• Day 3 - Writing For Magazines and Books
• Day 4 - Advice And Earning A Degree
• Day 5 - Life's Treatment
• Writer's Page