Picture this: It’s a Thursday night. All you want to do is curl up with a mug of your favorite beverage and binge watch an entire series in one night. Instead, you’re hunched over your computer, furiously typing, backspacing, typing, backspacing. You look up toward the heavens, silently cursing the day you ignorantly assumed that writing an article a week was no big deal.
Such is the life of the constantly doubtful, consistently behind schedule Odyssey content creator. If you painfully relate to the steps included below, then maybe, like me, it is time to rekindle your inspiration by writing a detailed analysis of your week-by-week thought process. If you’re simply along for the ride, then sit back, relax and learn about the internal struggle behind every seemingly simple article.
1. Positivity
Whether or not your last Odyssey article was a monumental success, you’re probably still riding on some kind of high from all the attention your Facebook page has been getting. (“Two whole notifications? For me?!”) You don’t really have to have your next great idea until, what, Tuesday? Wednesday? That’s more than enough time to churn out another innovative yet charmingly relatable idea, right?
2. Pessimism
Wrong. You’ve completely depleted your surplus of great ideas, and now that it’s come time to finally sit down and write something, you can feel your creative juices run dry. You suddenly feel like you might never write again, like someone has sucked away your ability to turn the English language into literary masterpieces. At this point, you’ll probably be content if you can produce one measly, mindless listicle.
3. Panic
Except today the gods are personally smiting you—you can’t even think of any half-decent listicle ideas, your personal library of reaction GIFs has somehow been completely wiped from your hard drive, and the "B" on your keyboard is jammed. You start to get nervous, anxious even—will this be the week you reach your breaking point? Will this be the week you finally don’t submit an Odyssey article, waiting in vain for the Editor-in-Chief to final deliver the fatal blow and fire you? Right now, the only thing on your screen is "bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb," and you’re pretty sure it isn’t the kind of content they’re looking for.
4. Perseverance
Once you’ve drowned your writer’s block in frustrated tears and taken a quick Netflix break, you’re feeling a little better about yourself. What’s one bad article in the scheme of things? Not much, really. Everyone has off days… off weeks… off months. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. You resolve to finish this article or die trying, even though you mentally cringe every time you put another word on the page.
5. Pride
Even though you went to bed convinced you were going to submit the world’s worst listicle, you wake up the next morning… rejuvenated. Relieved. Apparently, your article only needs a few minor tweaks to become the witty yet inspiring, unique yet approachable combo you always strive for. You actually feel a little proud as you press the submit button, even though you’d never admit it. When it’s finally published a few days later, you indulge in a celebratory fist pump. You deserve that like. You deserve that share.
6. Positivity
You don’t even have to think about your next article until Wednesday and even then, it’s going to be a breeze, right? You have plenty of great ideas.
