I don't consider myself the writing type. And I most definitely don't consider myself a journalist. Becoming an Odyssey writer was not something I planned to do, and it wasn't even an opportunity that I was avidly looking for. But when I found out that Washington University had its own team of writers, I decided to get out of my comfort zone to write about thoughts that intrigued me or have been relevant to my life.
I didn't join with the hope of getting millions of views. I don't think I will write anything groundbreaking or revolutionary, and I want to leave legitimate news stories and studies to professional writers and researchers.
Still, I wanted to write.
I decided to join Odyssey to become a better writer through consistent practice. Practicing and making sure to keep a set schedule, I think, is the key to my improvement. I was one of those elementary schoolers who really dealt with the consequences of the "summer slide".
Although I publish once a week, it doesn't necessarily mean that I'm always proud of my work. But it's the process of writing every week that makes me feel proud. In this case, I'm more enthusiastic about the process than my final product.
Odyssey gives me hard dates to keep pushing out pieces. I wanted to have a medium that would motivate me to write at least once a week. I've tried writing regularly in the past, but I would always find myself losing motivation in the end. The Odyssey Online, with its strict deadlines, holds me accountable each week to write at least one article.
For a long time, I was the type of person who found writing to be a chore. I eventually realized that it wasn't necessarily the act of writing that left me feeling miserable, but rather the topics that I was writing about.
Writing recreationally has made me enjoy the process and thought behind writing. Writing is a skill that I want to continue to develop because while speech is temporary, writing can last a lifetime. Not only that, but writing, no matter how many of us like it or not, is a worthwhile, universal skill to have.
I may not be the best, but by practicing, I'm no longer my worst.
