Sara Ryan

At the writers’ retreat I recently attended, one of our conversations was about career planning. It made me think about the risks I take as a writer, and the risks I’ve so far avoided.

Every risk comes with benefits. Every risk avoided means that the benefits of taking it are absent, too.

For instance:

Because I’m slow to publish, I risk that readers will forget about me and my work between projects. But I have the benefit of taking the time to work on each one until I’m (relatively) satisfied.

Because I haven’t quit my day job, I avoid the insecurity and stress of freelancing. But I also avoid the benefits that could come from focusing on writing full-time.

Every writer — scratch that, every person — chooses some risks and avoids others. Want a writing prompt? Write about a risk you took and/or a risk you avoided, and the associated benefits and regrets. Or, just comment…