“I’m not a risk-taker when it comes to safety and health…but when it comes to my attempt at a writing career, I’ve had to take chances, as many writers do, in order to move forward.”

That’s what I posted in Olga’s comments on her blog entry regarding risk-taking.

I’ve always been cautious. I don’t know if it just comes naturally or you learn to be. But I have to admit, I am a risk-taker in one area of my life, and that’s writing.

We, as writers, all have to take risks in order to reach our goals.

We take a risk by entering contests. Because we hope to get that extra help to make our wips just that much better, any small tidbit to fine-tune our pages. Or maybe we dream to final in a contest, to find our way on a editor’s desk, but there’s always the risk of receiving bad feedback that can dwindle a writer’s hope.

We take risks by sending off query letters, partials, or proposals to agents and editors. We risk the discouragement of a rejection or even comments that can cut deep into our confidence.

There are writers out there who take risks everyday by lifting that pen, or sitting down at the keyboard, because we put our hopes and dreams into the next book, the next project, wondering if this one will be the one.

And there are writers, who take risks to actually share their work with a loved one for the first time, wanting him or her to believe in them, and may receive a harmful laugh or disinterest.

How would we move forward if we didn’t take these risks?

That’s the problem, we won’t move forward unless we work, and take that leap.

So, yep, as writers, we are risk-takers. =)