When I signed up for the Odyssey, I truly had no clue what I was getting myself into. In a matter of hours one rainy night in Manhattan, a very fast and diligent team of editors had accepted my application, read my writing sample, and added me to the Odyssey team. Normally we are creating content for others to enjoy and ponder, but this one goes out to you, Odyssey writer!

1. We All Want A Voice.

It is the whole reason you joined, right? The Odyssey is a wonderful platform to be heard and to spread ideas larger than 140 characters. An Odyssey writer has ideas, opinions, and the guts to put them out there for everyone to see.

2. That Weekly Deadline, Though.

Ughhhhh. My voice is not that fast people! Some weeks the inspiration is coming at you faster than your fingers can type, but others the weekly deadline is a real point of stress and frustration. Personally, I feel that every two weeks I have a really great story that I am 100 percent proud to put out there on the world wide web.

3. Wehn You See An Erorr In A Pbulsiehd Sroty.

This is just the worst. Sorry Mom, sorry third grade teacher, sorry internet.

4. Share, Share, SHARE!!

To be honest, the number of shares is not why most of us write. Do we want to see our stories trending, going viral and starting a conversation? Hells to the ya! But sometimes our stories don’t click with the masses the way others do. Do not let it get you down. Ask your editor what the view count was. Some stories get a lot of view traction, but not share traction. More individualized stories, reviews, and controversial topics can be like this.

5. When Someone Disses the Odyssey.

THOSE ARE FIGHTING WORDS FOO! The Odyssey has a huge network and internet presence, so naturally there are going to be haters. Let them be Facebook hipsters and just keep writing your little heart out. My response, besides becoming an inst-ninja, is “Ok fine, but what are you doing to have a voice?”

6. When You Realize the CEO and Founder Is a Total Babe.

Technically he is my boss, so am I allowed to say that? Let’s see if my editor cuts that line or not. In my defense, Forbes totally thinks so too.

7. Listicles.

This is a listicle and it only took me an entire year to figure how to format it right. You write a listicle because it is either a light-hearted topic for giggles, or you really did not have the inspiration/time to write anything else.

8. RIP To All The Dead Articles.

This one goes out to all the articles you wrote but never submitted. Maybe you finished and hated every word you typed, or realized you were not informed enough to release an article on that topic. It could have been to personal, too close to your heart to let everyone in, or something you realized you do not, yet, have the courage to let the world know. So now you log in, see that grey ‘draft’ icon, and sigh.

9.Internet Stalking.

Guys, you know whoever internet stalks us reads these right? Like that blind date you are about to go on already knows about five dates worth of content about you!

10. The Odyssey Widens Your Views.

Yes we are writers, but we are also readers. The odyssey is a great way to start getting clued into media, news, and different points of view. By reading and sharing content, we are creating a very large round table discussion.

This is where I am supposed to say something to conclude this Listicle. I hate this part; I am not good with goodbyes. So here is a picture of some Alpacas instead. Oh ya, and don’t be a hypocrite - SHARE !!!!!!