To be completely honest I had no idea what the Odyssey was up until about a year ago when I was asked to join. I have always enjoyed writing, especially after I took a creative writing course back in high school. I never thought I was a great writer, I still don’t, but with each month when I go back and look over my old articles I see an improvement, even if it’s small. Just like with my artwork, writing is not something I would pursue as a career, but it’s a nice hobby to have. Maybe if I was better with my words I would try something with writing, but for now it’s just an outlet for me.

Here is a list of things I’ve noticed while writing Odyssey:

Friends/family: At first, I didn’t think anyone besides my family would read my articles and I was okay with that. Then I had some friends coming to tell me that they enjoyed my writing, and it surprised me, in a good way.

Lists: A lot of my articles are lists, like this one for example. I don’t know why, but I seem to express my best feelings and thoughts through lists. Even in writing, I’m organized.

Worldwide: I didn’t realize that the Odyssey reaches all over. Anyone can read your articles, which is pretty cool to think about.

Sections: When I first joined, I thought you just joined on your own, but you can join through your school. I joined Odyssey through my school, so I’m apart of the Beloit Odyssey group. We have an assigned leader from the headquarters of Odyssey who is in charge of making sure everyone in the group turns in their articles on time and onboards new members. They also appoint an Editor in Chief, usually someone in the group.

Editor in Chief: If you joined the Odyssey as an independent than your article gets edited by a group of editors who work for Odyssey. For me, we have an editor in chief who is someone that attends my school. Personally I just want to be a writer, so I’ve turned the EIC role. I know some editors change the writer’s articles to the point that it is no longer their voice, and I don’t want to do that by mistake.

Outlet: Writing helps get my thoughts down on paper. I like to write whenever I’m having strong emotions. It helps me destress.

I have written for Odyssey for about a year now, and overall I have loved it. Yes, there were times where I couldn’t think about what to write for the week, but eventually I came up with something. Thank you to everyone who has followed me through this journey. Until the next article, talk to you later, reader.