You can obviously tell by the title of this article that I had no idea what to write about this week.
As an Odyssey newbie, I have already grown an attachment to writing for this platform in such a short amount of time. I love the fact that there is a creative outlet for college students, one that allows us to share our experiences with others who can directly relate to us. I absolutely love writing for Odyssey.
But, I also hate it.
Don't get me wrong; I'm a mass communications major, so writing is right up my alley, and it's a part of what I want to do for the rest of my life (aside from becoming the next Oprah Winfrey, of course). However, writing articles can sometimes be difficult- no matter how much you're passionate about it. I have had my fair share of struggles in such a short amount of time as an Odyssey writer. I am sure that I am not alone with some of these cases, so I decided that this week's article would be about just that: 7 struggles all Odyssey writer's deal with.
So, whether you're a fellow writer or just a fan of the articles we produce, here's a look at the trials and tribulations us Odyssey kids endure.
1. Writer's block.
The number one worst struggle when it comes to writing for the Odyssey is when we get hit with writer's block. It's so frustrating - there are 1,000,000 things on this planet that occur regularly, yet once we sit down to write, it's as if all knowledge of life seems to disappear from our minds, and we're left staring blankly at our computer screens until an idea randomly sparks. When this happens, I like to just take a nap. It's like hitting two birds with one stone - I can give my mind an opportunity to take control and dream up something that may inspire my next article, and I can procrastinate and hide from my problems at the same time. Sounds like a win-win situation to me.
That is until I wake up and realize I still have no topic and a lingering deadline.
2. Finding the perfect gif/meme.
Nothing makes your words better than when you can find the perfect pictures or gifs to go along with them. It's nearly heartbreaking when you finally get to the point where you solidified your case and have funny points to back up your argument, but then there is no visual evidence for further support.
I have no clue why I have now entered the world of lawyer-lingo; I suppose it's because I find it unLAWful that good gifs are sometimes hard to find...
...And apparently so are good puns.
3. Making sure article topics are interesting enough.
Although we write articles based off of our own experiences and interests, we still want them to be something everyone can relate to. This difference-of-interest can be difficult to overcome sometimes. I've had to tell myself more than once that some people will just never love the shade and hilarious drama of reality television as much as I do. As a reality TV fangirl, I internally shed tears whenever I skip over the idea of writing an entire article about the last episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians. As an Odyssey writer, I keep my head proudly raised as I write about something more relatable.
And then I usually just insert reality show gifs as a silent nod to myself that "everything will be okay, Kim K".
4. Accidentally deleting work.
Odyssey pro: the site has an automatic save feature for everything we write.
Odyssey con: there is no "go back" or "revert" button.
What does this mean? Although it's awesome that our work will pretty much always be saved without us having to do a thing, it also means that anything we delete or backspace on will be saved too, and that there is no way to get it back once it's gone. I'm sure every Odyssey writer has had at least one instance in which they have accidentally erased an entire paragraph from their article and then hated themselves for the next week because of it.
Odyssey taught me to appreciate what I have before it's gone...or at least before I decide to press the backspace button.
5. Forgetting to share.
Sharing is a huge part of Odyssey; it's the only way people can find our articles to read! Although there's a way to schedule shares, it's often important to share these articles more often than not, and I, for one, am terrible at this. For someone who is always scrolling through social media, I often forget to regularly share articles. If you're in the same boat, don't worry.
I've come to the conclusion that the reason we forget sometimes is because we ran into Will Smith, and he happened to still have some gadgets from his Men in Black days.
When forgetful and in doubt, always blame Will Smith.
6. Stalking the Top Articles List.
As college students, we are all broke (and if you meet a student who tells you otherwise, they are either lying, in denial, or #blessed). As college students, we also like earning a following. The increase of friends/followers will help us to take our minds off of our financially stingy tendencies. Having a top article will not only let us know that our efforts were well-appreciated - it may even earn us a little moolah, too, and who wouldn't want that?
7. The lingering fact that your Odyssey days are numbered.
Despite the struggles we have to endure, the saddest thing is knowing that we might not always have Odyssey to write for. As each of us grow further into adulthood and get closer to reaching our career goals, there's going to be a time in which we won't be able to freely write anymore. The idea can be really upsetting, but it comes with growing up.
So, here's to all of the Odyssey joys and struggles we have to face as writers. Although it can be stressful at times, I look forward to future moments of writer's block, forgetfulness, and more. Because what's greatness without a little work? ♥
