I gotta admit, I was a little late submitting this article. Sometimes, you get wrapped up in the things going on in your life and you forget all of your real responsibilities. I have to admit another thing: most of the people reading these articles are finding it off of the Facebook link that my mom shared. I see people that are friends with my mom and they tell me that they feel like they know me through the articles that I have written and that they have followed. The people that read my articles, or any other Odyssey article for that matter, have no idea the process that us writers go through to put together our own form of art work.
In order for me to write these articles, I need as much time as it takes to think of a topic and then I am on my way and able to write quite quickly. Thinking of a topic really is the hardest part. There is a fine line that a lot of people ride when picking topics. Odyssey can be like a blog but no one wants it to turn into their personal diary. And remember, these are going on the Internet! The world wide web! We definitely want to keep some things to ourselves. Recently, when scrolling through different social media timelines, I realized that everyone wants to share EVERYTHING that is going on. I do not want to bore you with the sandwich I had for lunch (peanut butter and jelly), and I don't think you want to know the hours I go into work, (Five o'clock until midnight, I know, a candy store opened until midnight, right?), but I do want people to know that I am doing well in school and having a great summer. There is a balance when finding a topic to write about. Current news, local events, opinion pieces, and coverage on controversial subjects are just some of the topics we can write about. A writer's content can connect them with communities, spark conversations, influence, inform, and inspire.
Once my topic is picked, I have no problem rambling on with how I feel or telling that special story. I want enough information for the reader to stay involved and be able to mentally picture what is happening, but at the same time, I don't want to overwhelm them and let it get confusing.
Then comes my favorite part: uploading. Now, sometimes, it feels like a pain to find the perfect picture you want to go along with the article that you wrote, but here is where we schedule times for social media posting and where the whole thing comes together! I get to pick headlines, subheadlines, and tags so that more and more people see it. I make my articles what I want them to be, how I want them to look.
Now, this is not quite as easy as it sounds, but it can be really simple and fun! I think that writing is one of the best ways to release what you are thinking, even if it is not about your personal life but instead just the process of doing something or feeling a certain way. This is not a plug to get you to join Odyssey, but it is a plug that I am giving to inspire you to write. Even if it is a three sentence paragraph and then the paper gets ripped up and thrown in the fire. Get it off your chest. Write it.
