Another author and I sat in a conference room, waiting for the Willamette Writers session to begin. The speaker was Chip McGregor, and my fondest dream was that his literary agency would someday represent my novel. So we showed up early and sat attentively in our chairs.

Then we started playing with a photography app on my laptop.

By the time Chip entered the room we were shrieking with laughter, and rolling around on our chairs. It may have been undignified, but what fun.

I grew up with the thought that shadows were safe. If no one can see you, then no one can hurt you.

The prospect of having my first short story published triggered this belief. My words and thoughts will be so public, I whispered to myself. So dangerous.

But I had won awards for short stories and a few professionals expressed interest in my science fiction novel. Friends shook me by the shoulders and insisted that I was past due to get a website and start a blog.

Time to take the risk, I thought. Then I did a mental adjustment. Not a risk, an adventure.

Adventure has an element of risk to it, but it includes so much more. There’s the excitement of stepping out into something new without knowing where it will lead, the wonder as you learn new things, the comradery of finding other people with this compulsion to write strange stories of imaginary people.

There is also the sting of rejection, or that uncomfortable squirm in your stomach when you realize you screwed up.

But it all combines into this breathless swoop of excitement and surprise that makes life so much fun.

Bring on the adventure, risk and all.