When a dear friend and fellow writer told me about writing with Odyssey, I was a little surprised at its accessibility. By that I mean you’re able to join a team and start publishing your work weekly with no catch. I was hesitant at the time because while I do love the art of writing, I’m not one to write often. I write when inspiration strikes, rarely adhering to any deadlines. But as I considered my hope for becoming a freelance writer in the future, I decided it was high time for me to join something bigger than myself and accept the challenge to write on a weekly basis.

At the start, I had a steady flowing stream of ideas spilling from my pen all over my paper. But as time wore on, I began to struggle to form my many thoughts into words. Sure, I could write my thoughts down. But often times, the words just sit there plainly, not jumping out or making a difference in anyone’s thinking. I aspire to inspire. Whether that be inspiring someone to live healthier, more adventurously, or more closely with the Lord. But I detest the thought of my words being idly published, with no deeper purpose beyond shares.

Words have potential to be powerful. They can stir up someone to love and good works. They can foster sadness. They can make you laugh or make you cry. They can make you upset and/or angry. They can inspire you to change the world. I want all of my words to do all of that. I never want my words, whether spoken or written, to be idle chatter. I want my words to be weighty, thought-provoking, and awe-inspiring. Not that I have anything new or ground-breaking to say. But because I have lived and loved and lamented. And I want to share those moments with others.

Since the initial excitement of my beginning with Odyssey until now, I have published pieces I loved and pieces I didn’t care much for. I have published things I wish I would have spent more time on, and some that I question whether I should have written at all. But that’s the key – I’m quickly gaining knowledge and experience through this process. I may not be successful each week, but I would rather try and fail than not try at all. They say practice makes perfect. While I get the idea, I think for me practice will build gradual authenticity. I need to build my writing so that it reflects who I am and who I strive to be.

So if you’re out there considering whether or not you want to write for Odyssey, I strongly encourage you to accept the challenge. At times, it will be tough with the chaos of life to meet deadlines, but trust me – it’s good for you. Benjamin Franklin once said, “Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing".