LAURIE LEE DOVEY OF ALPHARETTA, GEORGIA

QUESTION: How did you get started in the writing business?
ANSWER: I started out on a small newspaper in northwest Florida, writing an outdoor column. Then I joined Florida Outdoor Writers. Then I met John E. Phillips.

QUESTION: Now you're President of Outdoor Writers of America Association.
ANSWER: That's right.

QUESTION: What advice would you give young writers starting out?
ANSWER: Find a mentor. Find someone who can help you circumvent the learning curve, so you don't have to reinvent the wheel. Pay attention to what they know and what works. Also, work harder than everybody else does.

QUESTION: What else would you tell young people?
ANSWER: Don't let rejection get you down. It happens. It's part of the business. It's not personal. Move on, and keep writing. A young writer has to know that it's possible to make a living. This line, "Woe is me, I can't make any money -- freelancers aren't supposed to make any money," is bunk. If you work hard, you'll make money.

QUESTION: For what markets do you write?
ANSWER: I wrote primarily in the outdoor market for the first 12 years of my career. Then I had the opportunity to get into golf and have done a lot of golf writing for the past seven years. In terms of freelance, I do a lot of web content, delivery for companies and press releases. That's part and parcel of working in freelance -- have lots of irons and lots of fires.

QUESTION: Tell me about OWAA.
ANSWER: OWAA is the professional outdoor communicators organization. The mission is to service its members, provide member benefits, educate and foster new outdoor communicators. The reason I'm president is because my mentor, John Phillips, when asked how I could repay him for the time and effort he gave me, told me the only thing I had to do was to pass on his advice to others. One of the ways I decided to do that was to serve for OWAA to help other outdoor writers. We have 1350 members. It consists 750 communicating members and about 600 corporate and service organization members. Go to owaa.org to find out all the info.