So a while ago, I started writing for Odyssey. Initial reason: It would look great on a resume. I mean, c'mon, I'm a college student. I'd commit murder if it looked good on my resume. But really, I joined so that I can have the experience necessary to make a writing portfolio of my published work. It was a perfect opportunity because I wanted to show a potential job I was looking at that I can write news articles (mainly about Turkey), and I'm a Creative Writing major and I love writing.
Of course saying you're an Odyssey writer is a lot easier than writing articles. Every week, I'm supposed to write at least one article. No big deal, right? Wrong! Within the first weeks, I was dry on ideas. I tried doing listicles, and if anyone here is an Odyssey writer who does listicles, props to you. With the GIFs and the amount of points needed to make, I was never able to do it. And it kinda stinks, too, 'cause the people who read Odyssey are mainly college students looking for a hilarious article that relates to all of their struggles. So shout-out to Odyssey writers who write listicles. The work and thought you put in is incredible.
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So since listicles weren't working out for me, I decided to write news articles. I have a special interest in Turkey (as in the country, not the food), so I write articles about how much of a mess they are in right now. It was easier, but at the same time, I wasn't enjoying it as much. For one thing, the amount of research and work you put into the articles has a much, much lower audience. Also, no offense to other Odyssey writers, but writing about news is boring. Reading and learning about what's going on in the world is interesting and cool, but I just don't get a kick out of writing news articles.
So this week, dry for ideas and with a deadline fast approaching, I decided to read what some other Odyssey people are writing. I open up the first one and started reading. It was an article called "To Those Who Are Tempted to Settle," by Geena-Leeza Shadle, that was all about love in college, finding the one and going through awful boyfriends and girlfriends.
And you know what, I loved that article.
So I started reading other articles. There was one about a girl who lost over 100 pounds, and the way people reacted to her after she lost all that weight. There was another article about a student going to a Catholic college and how her friends back home judge her for it. There was even an article about why college students should look at clouds more!
In all of these articles, people shared their thoughts and feelings about what it is like to a young adult in today's world. Reading CNN, watching the news, or even reading Buzzfeed doesn't offer the same sort of understanding that there is in Odyssey articles. Every Odyssey writer deals with something that relates specifically to them but can express their frustrations and understanding through this platform for others to learn from.
I tried doing what some of the other Odyssey writers did and wrote about what concerned me (which was about people complaining about other's jobs). So far, that has been my most successful article and I have never received that much praise before. It was powerful, uplifting, encouraging, and it really made me want to write more.
It's not easy writing about the trials and tribulations you go through every day, and it's even harder to have someone understand where you are coming from. But through Odyssey, people can share their thoughts and concerns in a way that really connects them with other like-minded people who are going through the same things. Maybe some of the articles are ridiculous and their topics are questionable, but it doesn't matter. Odyssey is a place for young adults to write about what they want and what they think so that the world may share their thoughts and feelings.
I am proud to say that I write for Odyssey, and if you write for Odyssey, you should, too! There is always going to be someone out there who is going to appreciate what you write, and you will leave an impact on them. Thank you for all the writers of Odyssey and to those who read their work on this wonderful media outlet.
