Not going to lie, writing for The Odyssey was something that was completely off my radar. I’ve never considered myself as a writer privately, let alone on a website with an ever-growing fan base. My time writing for The Odyssey has been interesting, to say the least. I wrote about things I was passionate about, things that displayed my humor, and things that I did not care for. But one major thing that I can conclude from my time as a writer, and know will continue to be true for however long I write for, is that this is one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

I didn’t fully understand what The Odyssey was at first. It was a site that some of my friends wrote for, and I shared their articles because they’re amazing writers. I got an email from our Editor in Chief at the time saying that someone recommended me to become a writer for The Odyssey. I was shocked and confused, mainly because I didn’t know who would have recommended me or why, considering I had never talked about being interested in writing or anything. At first, I didn’t even take it seriously. But then I started thinking about it more, and I decided to add Odyssey writer to the list of things I did. I put a lot of thought and consideration into the decision, and I’m extremely glad that I did not immediately dismiss the idea of becoming a writer.

At first, when I signed up, it was extremely intimidating. I was told that I had to write at least one article per week. That would mean that as time goes on, I’ll end up having to write more than I ever have in my life. That was completely unreal to me. In addition to that, I had to create a profile on The Odyssey website and submit articles on the website, which there are several steps involved. You have to write it, and you have to pick the cover photo, add tags, figure out the URL and the type of article, and create a scheduled share on your Facebook page. I never realized how much actually went into submitting an article. Finally, two to three people read your article and edit it to make sure there aren’t any typos or other errors. I was so scared to begin this journey, but it got a lot better once I started writing.

I never thought that I would enjoy writing as much as I have. It is such a great creative outlet for me. I get to express my thoughts and opinions to people about whatever I want. I feel like The Odyssey has helped me grow as a writer and as a person. It’s a lot of work, of course, and I do have to set aside time to think of ideas and then actually write the article. All of this work that I put into The Odyssey is completely worth it, and I would not trade it for anything in the world. If you’re thinking about writing for The Odyssey, I highly recommend it.