Creative writing is something I have always enjoyed doing. I love being able to pick up a pencil and let my feelings and ideas flow on paper. That is when I’m at my best. I love having the freedom to write about whatever and whoever I want. I am able to express myself through words.
I had never thought about taking my writing to the next level. I thought I was good, but not great, so I never took that next step. Until one day, someone close to me told me that I should start writing for an online writing site. That same day I searched the internet and stumbled across Odyssey. I decided to put in an application. I was excited when I got a call from an editor in New York. The very next day, my application was accepted and I was officially a writer for UNLV Odyssey! This was me taking a jump on something I love to do.
I have been a writer with Odyssey since January 2016. Throughout writing for Odyssey, I quickly found out how challenging it can be. The most difficult thing for me is trying to come up with new, fresh article ideas each week (it’s actually a lot harder than you think). I run into writer's block quite a bit. But Odyssey has taught me that writer's block happens from time to time. It has also taught me to write about whatever I am passionate about. That is what is most important and what speaks most to my readers. I want my readers to know that their voices are heard and I want to put out articles that everyone can relate to.
I’ll be honest, after my first article, I was really pushing to get the most shares and the most likes. But I came to realize that that is not what it is all about. Odyssey has made me grow as a writer and is continuing to do so. It has shown me that it doesn’t matter how much feedback you get on an article, but why that article is important to you and why you chose to write about that certain topic. Writing is about expressing yourself, not for hopes of getting shares or hoping people will like it. Sure, it’s nice getting that positive feedback, but I look at this as a way to show my ideas to the world.
My advice to any aspiring writer is to take that jump and start writing for Odyssey at your university. It could open a lot of doors and create a plethora of opportunities. Being a secondary education major with an emphasis in English, I want to be able to portray to my future students that writing can actually be fun and enjoyable. I am excited to take all of the things I’ve learned since writing for Odyssey and implement them in my classroom.
“You don’t write because you want to say something, you write because you have something to say.” –F. Scott Fitzgerald