If you asked me about a year ago why I started writing for Odyssey, I’d originally tell you that I don’t know why. And to this day, I still don’t know. Perhaps it was because I was angry or upset over something and needed an outlet for my creativity.
Flash forward to a year later. I realized then while I filed a minor change to journalism why I chose to write for Odyssey, and that was to just write. Not to write an essay on politics, on World War II, on acting techniques or statistical data crunches. Odyssey is my place of creative flow.
The first article I wrote dealt with a heartbreak that I was going through and maybe it was a space to retrieve some closure. Rereading it now, I wonder what exactly went through my mind and what made me keep going. Was it when I shared an article I wrote to Josh Groban who took the time to read it? Or was it writing about my love life which sent several messages to people? I'm honestly not sure where it went, but I know it went somewhere.
Maybe it was when I went semi-viral after posting thirty questions I'd ask Marist that I realized my Odyssey base was growing. Maybe it was the response that followed being the kicker that made me keep going. More or less, it was a start to realize that I can do Odyssey as a side hobby to the constant flow of my schedule.
My topics come from the little hints of inspiration that go about each day. Some days it was sitting and watching a vlog, others it dealt with news topics such as the tragedy in Las Vegas or Trump's speech at a jamboree. Others can involve silly playlists or stuffed animals. It really depends on the mood of the day on that first Monday of the week.
Some articles come quickly to me like the articles on celebrities or music while others take a while to compose. The creative flow may take a while to compose a fluent article and even those that take a while are those that are the most difficult to compose. Yet I choose to keep going.
I am fortunate to just have a will to keep writing. I am engrossed in the text of my article and will plow through it when I am in the zone. And that can take hours at a time. Yet, I enjoy my craft and know people have related to my articles in the past.
Some of my articles have also caused a lot of thought by others. Whether it would be the perspective of a boy scout on the president's speech, an article on the matter of overthinking or an article connecting Dear Evan Hansen to the modern-day viewer, the points were made to have people think about life and to draw connections. And that's why I write.
And I am not done writing. I enjoy doing what I do. I enjoy writing and connecting with people in my community. And hopefully, I can continue this for years. Who knows? Maybe one of my articles will draw a connection to you, the reader, for years to come.
