I have been writing for the Odyssey for nearly a year now. Although our branch at Transylvania is small, we have talented writers with a lot to say. Writing has been a passion of mine since I was in elementary school. The Odyssey has given me not only a voice, but also the courage to share my writing with others. Even though our branch has been active for almost a year, I still hear negative comments about it nearly every single day.

I’m not here to say that every Odyssey writer around the nation is extremely talented. However, I do firmly believe that everyone has the right to speak his or her mind and be heard. When people belittle the Odyssey, they miss the entire point of the company. The website gives young people a voice and is an incredible opportunity to get editorial experience. As someone who is interested in an editorial career, the Odyssey has pushed me to maintain weekly deadlines as well has come up with creative topics every single week on top of my schoolwork.

Writing is something I am passionate about, so when people make fun of the Odyssey I find it very frustrating. I don’t judge people who are passionate about playing a musical instrument or people who are extremely invested in athletics. It takes a lot of courage to put your thoughts out in the open like writers for the Odyssey do on a weekly basis. However, it’s incredibly rewarding when people relate to something you write.

I never understand why people have such a big problem with the Odyssey but then don’t mind if people start blogs. A lot of people make the argument that anyone can write for the Odyssey, however, that isn’t necessarily true like it is for blogging. When I started with the Odyssey I had to interview for the position. Furthermore, writers can’t submit just anything. Our work is edited several times before it is published and there are restrictions on what we can write about. Odyssey isn’t a total free for all and it isn’t fair for people to make assumptions about it without knowing how the website works.

No matter how much people put down Odyssey, I will always be in favor of it. I only hope that people will consider how difficult it can be to post your writing on the internet and how upsetting it is to get made fun of for doing so. Everyone should have the right to follow his or her passions without being judged. So, if you aren’t a fan of Odyssey articles, just scroll by and don’t read them. It isn’t necessary to put people down for being passionate about something.