Over the summer, I applied to be a content creator for Lewis & Clark College's Odyssey community. To this date, despite all of the school work and jobs I have taken on, I remain a loyal team member to my community. While there are many times I call my parents stressed out about having too much work, and they suggest quitting Odyssey (the only one of my jobs that does not offer a steady pay), I can't bring myself to do it. Why? Well, I believe Odyssey is too valuable an experience to leave behind.

In order to show you why I think it's great, and hopefully encourage more people to join their Odyssey community (if you’re at L&C, hopefully our community) I am going to explain the personal benefits I have found throughout my almost five months as a content creator.

1. You don’t need to be a “writer” to write for Odyssey.

While Odyssey is a platform that can help aspiring writers get their voices out there, in my opinion, you definitely don’t need to be a “writer” to write for Odyssey. Because Odyssey is so flexible with its topics — you can essentially write about whatever you want — it is a platform to help anyone and everyone get their voices out there. Odyssey is place I go to for inspiration. Sometimes, if I write about something I found online that interested me or read someone’s article that brings up a fantastic point regarding something I am interested in, I use Odyssey as a starting point for my essays. If English isn’t your forte, Odyssey can still be a place where you put out your thoughts, receive feedback from various communities and help you come to a solid opinion about something. Odyssey, as a community, is only as interesting as the people who write for it. Thus, it would be more interesting if it involved students from several disciplines writing articles about everything far and wide.

2. You learn about your national and local communities.

When coming up with ideas for my articles, I scan several news sources, websites, articles etc. I read several articles before I come to a conclusion on what I want to write about for that week. Last year, my school work removed me from my national and local communities. I wasn’t keeping in touch with what was happening in the world, back in California or even in the new state I call home (Oregon). Regardless if my article for the week is on a huge, national news story or a small, local one, Odyssey keeps me up to date by demanding that I stay involved with what is happening around me each week.

3. You learn how to create an opinion and how to argue it.

Everyone formulates opinions from the second we read or see anything. While actually creating an opinion is natural, Odyssey pushes its writers us to take a stance on this opinion, back it up and share it to our peers. It took me a while to realize this benefit of Odyssey, but at the start of this year, I could see myself talking up more in classes, creating my own opinions regarding what we read and defending these opinions. Additionally, I bring in outside sources and can connect what I am learning in class to what is happening in the world around me.

4. You learn how to promote yourself.

In the 21^st century, self-promotion is becoming ever so important in the business world. Odyssey teaches its writers how to most effectively get their pieces read by as many people as possible. Through one on one consultations with my Editors, I learned where to post my articles, who to reach out to and how to appeal to my targeted audience. Additionally, through reaching out to other platforms and asking them to share my work, I gain insight on how to write on a more professional level. I learn what pictures and phrases can be triggering, how to write — appropriately — to a specific audience and gain valuable insider feedback on my work.

5. You strengthen your writing skills.

I believe my writing can always improve. Writing each week, and usually to a difference audience each time, I can see my writing improving immensely. While it is harder for me to see how my technique, word choice and syntax are developing, I can definitely see a huge improvement in how long it takes me to formulate my thoughts and transform them into sentences. I can also see inspiration stemming from nearly everything I see, hear about or read. This improvement is seen in my classes as well; not only can I formulate my ideas more concisely, but I can quickly recall evidence to back up my claim, use textual evidence more effectively and build upon and complicate my own ideas. Overall, my creativity and thought process have matured exceptionally.

6. You become a "mini-expert" on SO many different topics.

This could be my favorite part about writing for Odyssey. After I finish an article, I feel like a mini expert in what I wrote about. I am able to talk with my peers about the topic, challenge their views and complicate our perceptions. Regardless if my article for the week talks about a local or a national story, having personal input on so many topics allows me to talk to more people, engage in topics outside my major and relate what I learn in class to what I learn writing for Odyssey.

7. You get yourself into a bit of healthy competition.

Odyssey previously offered a $20.00 incentive (to communities who have at least 12 full-time writers) if your article is the most viewed in your community. This puts you in direct, friendly competition with your peers. Although Lewis & Clark College hasn’t been reaching the 12 articles a week mark lately, the competition to have your article read the most is still alive. They have now since put the creator in control of earning, giving them the chance to earn incentives based on overall page views. I try, very hard, to promote my articles on several platforms, Facebook pages and websites even though the money incentive is rarely in place. I crave healthy competition and Odyssey is able to provide this.

8. You read more.

This benefit is pretty self-explanatory: the more you write, the more you read. I read up to ten articles a week just to find inspiration and then four or five articles to develop my point of view, provide evidence for my stance and provide background information to my readers.

9. You teach more and learn more.

This may not be important for other Odyssey creators, but it is another key reason I continue to write for Odyssey. I love to teach, but more importantly, I love to teach through conversation. I believe that you can only learn so much by reading a paper/article. You truly learn when you converse about a topic, develop your opinions and have others continuously challenge them. I strive to develop each of my articles in a way that starts a dialogue with my readers. It is here, where I can teach others about my stance and they can teach me about theirs (if they differ).

10. Finally, you learn more about you: what truly interests you, scares you and confuses you.

Writing for Odyssey has allowed me to explore several different fields of research and thought. Through this, I learn what ideas and topics interest me. Contrarily, I learn what is happening in the world that truly scares me. I learn more about what I don’t understand and can reach out to my readers to help clarify. I learn what I love, what I hate and what I cherish about: where I live, the rest of world, new developments in technology and research, horrific news stories and injustices in our society.

Overall, Odyssey is an incredible addition to my life. I urge anyone and everyone to apply to their school’s community. It is an invaluable experience that pushes me to work harder, learn more, read more and write more. It connects me with not only the L&C Community but with Odyssey communities at schools across the nation. If you are interested in learning more about the Odyssey Community at Lewis and Clark College, feel free to Facebook message me (Gracie Anne Wilson). If you are interested in joining your schools community, you can apply here. I can answer some of your questions, put you in contact with our Editors and hopefully persuade you to join an amazing community that has been one of the best parts of my college career so far!