Dear Geist,

Any pointers on starting up a new column for writers? It would be all about writing, and I would spice it up with fun quotes, tall tales, obscure bits of history and literature. I love writers’ websites! So do other writers. We love to talk about writing, think about writing, critique people’s writing, complain about writing. The company is great, and there's always more to say.

—Joseph Aloco, Minneapolis MN

Dear Joseph,

We agree that there’s no limit to talking and writing about the writing life, and in our work, overlapping content just makes it more interesting.

But we'll throw in a few cautions that you’ve probably seen online. Most important, write up a realistic budget for your first year or two—for your time as well as your income and expenses. You know how long it takes to write something good, and you’ll be doing it frequently, on top of your main writing. Some veterans say a columnist has to publish something new every week to maintain momentum. Maybe you'll try a few gimmicks now and then, such as a contest for the weirdest/saddest/funniest guest post, or challenge your readers to write a brilliant solution to a tiny literary mystery. . .

If you do encourage readers to respond and chat at your column, you'll need to allow extra time to join some conversations (and to keep the Comments section wanker-free). There may be times when you simply cannot answer every query, so you'll need to work out a protocol for that.

As for income, will you have advertisers? If so, take some time to understand how on-line advertising works and what you'll have to do to maintain it as an appropriate revenue source for your site. Work out the expenses and administration time, and keep your eye on it. Good luck!

—The Editors