For as long as I can remember, writing has been my life. As a little girl, you could find myself sitting in a corner with a pen and pencil in hand, entertained by the plethora of stories circling around in my head. And this was my happy place. I was illuminated by the brightness of my imagination, and throughout my childhood, I was not afraid to let that light shine as I wrote. I remember specifically a shelf in my closet designated to my notebooks, all of which contained an unfinished story that was never quite finished. As a child, I often forgot that the editing process existed. I was more interested in writing what I thought, even if that meant it never had a proper ending.

As I grew older, so did my love for writing. I also began reading more, too, which inspired me to think of new ideas and new stories. Every weekend my Dad would take me to the library where I would check out a new book. I remember running home, ecstatic to begin this new book. It brought me joy in a way that I could not even begin to describe, and its effects bore positive results in my creative mind. I began to think of story ideas during the most random times, mostly during the school day, to which I would jot my ideas in the margin of my marble notebook. Then, I would run home, take a notebook off the shelf in my closet, and begin.

My life as a writer changed the day I received my first laptop. On my twelfth birthday, I remember opening the box that read "DELL" and jumping for joy. "Finally," I thought to myself, "No more notebooks!" From there, my writing process became so much easier. I did not have to spend money or time writing or rewriting on old notebooks because now, my writing was all saved on my computer. But most importantly, it was private.

As a kid, nothing scared me more than other people being readers to my own works. In retrospect, it is both easy to empathize with my twelve-year-old self who just wanted her journals and drafts of fiction to be a private outlet, but on the other hand, with time I came to realize that self-criticism is key to refining your writing abilities.

During my last summer before my senior year of high school, I completed a week-long "Creative Writing" intensive at a local university. I signed up for the program spontaneously, which was both alarming and calming at the same time. I was walking in with an open mind, which was a good thing, yet I was nervous at the plethora of uncertainties that lie before me. Despite my natural tendency for writing as a child, my years during high school were not filled with writing. During that time in my life, writing was simply a school necessity, and honestly, it was a drag. In the process of this program, I regained my writing voice. I had my moment of writing epiphany, and it was glorious.

I realized that my voice was different than those surrounding me in that classroom; everyone around me wrote about fiction, and most of it was dark and often depressing. Their stories were either made-up or at least inspired by an event in their own lives, and while they were magnificent writers with a way of words, I did not click with my classmates...writing wise. While they were writing about high school dramas, I was writing about war in the Middle East, immigration, and religious freedom. In this moment, I did not even recognize myself. For so long I used to be the girl obsessed with the imaginary world in her head, but when I found my true voice at seventeen-years-old I was ranting endlessly about issues that mattered to me: feminism, world politics, justice, and so much more.

So I said goodbye to the fantasies of my childhood, and I said hello to the realistic and mature voice I had developed. After that experience, I realized that my voice stood alone in that classroom for a reason. I was finally more comfortable about my perspective, which was authentic yet different. "But different is good" I said to myself over and over again. After this program, I was back to my happy place, my writing Cloud Nine.

Nearly a year later, I found the Odyssey. I had seen a couple articles shared on Facebook, and I was curious to learn more about it. I understood the Odyssey as an outlet where I could rant to a public audience. However, after writing here for a little over six months, I realize that it is more than just writing for a public reaction or audience. My articles on the Odyssey are a mature version of the countless fantasy stories I had as a child.

Writing relieves me of all stress, anxiety, or nervousness. It is the only way I can organize my thoughts onto paper and reflect on myself. The questions I ask myself are, "What do I care about? Why? How do I view this from a different perspective?" To me, writing is way more than saying, "Oh, I will get more views if I write about .... or ...." Writing is about releasing your thoughts, emotions, perspective regardless of the attention you will receive for it. I do not write for my audience, but rather, I write for myself. And that is what it is like inside the mind of a writer.