As my fellow creators know, writing an Odyssey article can be hard. Sometimes it's the time commitment. Too many "oh crap, today is Saturday and I didn't submit anything" happen. (Which, y'know, I'm totally not writing this on a Saturday morning... in case you thought I might be.) There are about a thousand drafts of topics you start but can't finish, or lose interest in, or something else comes up. Then there's self-analysis: are people going to judge me for this? are people going to like what I've written? Have I done one too many listicles? (This is only my second, I think...) All this to say, being a creator is rough at times. But what is life if you can't laugh? Here're the 8 stages of creating, as told by "The Office."
1. Article, Listicle, or News piece?
Do I want to write about the election? Should I? Should I talk about my college or my personal life values? Can I think of enough points for a listicle?
2. Deciding what you want to write about.
I don't know what's more rewarding than having the words just flow out as you craft the best news article, article, or listicle you think you've ever written.
3. OR when you get topic ideas from the lovely folks at Odyssey
Honestly, they're the real MVPs. I'm not sure how they come up with 20 topics when I have about a half topic.
4. Finishing that content
You did it! You wrote a fantastic piece. So proud!
5. Your cover image is not the right size.
Especially when the image was THE most PERFECT image for your topic.
6. When your article isn't posted immediately on Monday.
This is nothing personal to the people who edit our articles, you guys do FABULOUS work and my content wouldn't be what it is without you. We just forget you have a bajillion other things besides our article.
7. Someone comments... something
There's always going to be a critic, or a rude person, or a general naysayer.
8. When you realize that, no matter what people say or how long it took, you're proud of your content.
There's always a sense of accomplishment knowing that your published piece is out there, reaching someone. Whether it's a serious piece, a funny joke, or anything in between, a piece of you is out there now.
Shout out to my fellow creators, I hope you enjoyed this as much as I.
Anything I forgot or that you would add on to our creative process?
