Almost every college student in the United States has stumbled upon at least one Odyssey article on their social media feed, whether it was "20 Signs You and Your Roommates Are Way Too Close" or "An Open Letter To My Best Friend." I sincerely thank you for taking time to read another one. Odyssey writers are storytellers, and I would like to share with you my story with theodysseyonline.com.
Odyssey came to my life in my high school senior year. Some of my older friends who already entered college spammed my Facebook newsfeed with open letters. When I got to college, I saw my peers share their own Odyssey articles. For a while, I admired those Odyssey writers for their courage to discuss personal issues and sensitive topics but also thought they belonged to a better group that people like me would never be part of. I thought I would always be a reader whose opinion never mattered, until one day when my curiosity led me to the "Create" button on the bottom of the Odyssey website.
Wait, for what? I can be a content creator too? Holding the thought that I had nothing to lose anyway, I gave it a shot. After all, I had been a Wordpress blogger, although the number of views usually never passed a single digit.
I became an Odyssey writer about two months ago, and I dare say it was one of the best choices I have made in life. I didn't make myself famous and my views for each article weren't as impressive as some other writers', but I love what I am doing. Here are 5 reasons to sum it up.
1. I like to write.
If you ask any Odyssey writer why he/she chose to get involved on this platform, the first thing you would hear is probably the passion in writing. Putting the stories I have in mind down to solid words and being a published author have always been my dream, but I have been told a million times that I suck at expressing my opinions in my broken English, let alone writing a cohesive article. Odyssey fulfilled my dream of being a writer and boosted my confidence.
2. I like to draw.
This might sound a bit out of place since Odyssey is not DeviantArt. Here's what I mean: Odyssey articles are always more interesting with pictures and gifs. This is perfect because 1) I love drawing, and 2) I am too lazy to cite other people's images. I enjoy polishing up my articles with my own illustrations.
3. Odyssey makes my voice heard.
Words cannot describe my gratitude of my readers. Odyssey gave me the opportunity to express myself in front of a big audience. The comments my friends left under my articles made me feel important, or at least not neglected. It is as if saying, "your opinion matters."
4. Odyssey makes me experience life deeper.
All thanks to the weekly deadline — since I need to come up with something every week, I have to be observant of my surrounding. I have developed the habit of taking mental notes on Odyssey-worthy things. I have learned to make every day count.
5. I gain perspective from reading other writers' articles.
I try to be fair when it comes to tackling sensitive issues, but it is impossible to be unbiased because I already carry my own mindset. Odyssey introduced me to this diverse community of talented writers and put me in my peers' shoe every so often. Although I don't agree with them all the time, I learned to respect and understand.