1. Determination.
It's a few hours before deadline. You sit down at your computer, open up a new tab to your writer's dashboard and click +New Article. You're ready. You've either been thinking about your latest great idea all week - and you're all set to put it into words - or you're still trying to get your creative juices going in the limited time you have. Either way, you have a goal - to write the next greatest Odyssey article.
2. Doubt.
You're not sure if the things you're thinking of writing about will make a great article. Can I say this in at least 500 words? Is this idea original enough? Will people wanna read and share it? These questions begin to fill your mind as you stare at your blank screen. At this point, you may or may not get up and take a snack break. It's up to you, really.
3. Excitement.
Finally, the lightbulb goes off in your head - you have the perfect article idea and you're ready to get started! Your fingers on the keyboard can't keep pace with the thoughts going through your mind. This is good. This is what great writing is all about. What you have to say is so relatable, so important and so timely. Your amazing article will be the next one to go viral, you just know it.
4. More doubt.
You now go back through your finished work and begin to wonder if some of the things you said actually make sense. Thoughts like, "no, no, no, that doesn't seem right", "wow, that sounds really confusing" and "I wonder if this might offend anyone" come to you. After looking at the clock and realizing you still have a decent amount of time left before deadline, you get back to work, going through the article several more times to edit and rearrange stuff until you're happy.
5. Relief.
You read everything through once more and hit the "submit for editing" button. A wave of relief rushes over you. Whew! You did it, and you did it in time! Until next week...
6. Accomplishment.
A few days later, you receive the email saying your article has been published. Woohoo! Time to share, because you worked hard on that piece and everyone should see it. You post the link to your Facebook at the first chance you get, and it immediately gets a few likes. Go you!
7. Joy.
Later that day, you log back in to notifications of even more likes. Not only that, but a couple of your friends have shared the link themselves and wrote nice commentary about it! You feel warm and fuzzy inside, knowing you sparked this.
Perhaps more than just a few friends shared it - thousands of people did. You feel like a kid in a candy store, not because you got all the attention (although it is nice), but because people out there are discussing the topic - even if their opinions differ from yours - or they feel such a strong connection to it. That's what The Odyssey is all about.
Happy writing!
