To my fellow Odyssey writers,

The day before my birthday this year, I got something I didn’t anticipate: my first troll. Not the cute little trolls with the crazy hair that every 90s kid loves. No, ladies and gentlemen. I got my first internet troll!

This occurred because I published a story I had written for a class. I usually pen original words for Odyssey, and I take my work quite seriously. However, I was very proud of my story and wanted to share it with others. I received an A in the class and, to my delight, got an A on the story, too.

So, I was checking my Facebook messages, and I came across a very disgruntled woman. She wanted me to know that my story was poorly written, my grammar was terrible and my ideas were unoriginal. She even said that she felt she could “make my work better.”

I swallowed my pride and asked her what she meant. I was unsure of what “make my work better” was supposed to mean, and I wanted her to elaborate.

When I asked her, she couldn’t give me a direct answer and said she wasn’t sure. Then, she said she knew that if writers, actors and artists listened to their work more, their works would be wellreceived.

She also informed me that my teacher had done nothing in helping me become a better writer. She even said the encouragement I receive from family, friends and fellow writers is something I don’t get honestly. But, rather, the encouragement given to me is solely based on the love my family and friends have for me. As this troll put it, they simply “don't want my feelings hurt.”

I disregarded my instincts to fight back. “Don't feed the troll,” as they say. But, in the same message, she started to correct my work! I must stress that this piece she was “critiquing” had been edited carefully by Odyssey editors as well as my professor. And, after calling my professor uneducated, she proceeded to tell me how unfair her life was. She told me she had gone to school to be an artist and that she had to work three jobs. Clearly, I was unaware of her struggles. She had the nerve to tell me that I was in a job that wasn’t a good fit for me.

By this point, I really had to hold back my urge to engage in a fight with her over this. But, I simply said to her: “You need to be careful how you say things. Being overly mean will open no doors for you.” Of course, I was blocked after being called terrible names.

As writers, we must understand one thing: our power to create gives us a voice! As humans, we must be kind and give others hope. One thing I’ve taken from this “trolling” experience is that I must remember to be kind and gentle—especially when approaching a person that might be affected by how I express myself. Also, never forget that mean people are usually sad because of their own insecurities. Maybe they didn't get the things they wanted, so they feel it’s necessary to attack others. People that choose to emotionally or physically abuse others are afraid of the world around them. I remember all these things and try to be kind to everyone. But, as a fellow writer, I’d like you to know that you don’t deserve this type of treatment. Your voice and opinions might be different from mine, but I’ll always defend your right to speak your mind—no matter how you choose to do it.