How A Tweet Changed How I Write | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

How A Tweet Changed How I Write

Why it's important to be interested in what you're doing.

14
How A Tweet Changed How I Write
The Dev Shack

When I applied to write for Odyssey I wrote on my request to join the team, "I want to write for the Odyssey because I like to read the things the Odyssey puts out and I want a part of that." Simply put, I wanted to write the things that I liked to read. I was interested in what I was writing. Then something happened. I got over a thousand views on an article. And from that moment on I had been trying to do it again. Since about March, I've been discouraged. I haven't wanted to write and I've been trying too hard. I've been searching for the reasons I started this in the first place.

Trying too hard, of course, left me unsuccessful because I was writing to please others. I had no real interest in what I was writing. I was writing it because my topics were what I thought other people wanted to read. Turns out it wasn't. In addition, I had no desire to promote them. That lead me to discouragement and I stopped caring.

Way back at the end of June was the peak of my discouragement. I was desperate. I remember telling someone "Why do I even write anymore? All I want is a viral article." Then I saw the tweet, and it changed everything. It was a tweet by someone I am incredibly inspired by, Jon Cozart, a 24-year-old, professional YouTuber, best known for his acapella covers and parodies. It said, "My goal is to be more interested in what I create rather than what that creation will get me." The reality is I want the exact same thing.

Reading that tweet hit me hard, and it occurred to me that I wasn't writing for the right reasons. My original goal of writing things that I wanted to read was gone and my goals had shifted from "I love this" to "well, let's get it out of the way then."

I had been obsessing over reading how to write the perfect headline. I had spent hours analyzing people's cover photos. Deep down though, I knew that none of that would ever matter if my content didn't support it. So when I read that tweet, it changed the way I wrote. I realized I needed to stop writing for the page views because the one article that I had that got over a thousand views (1,200, to be exact) was about ballet, something that I am extremely passionate about. It was something that I would click on, something I would read, and probably something I would share.

I think the biggest realization that I've had in this whole process is that the creative process cannot and will not work if you're not interested or invested in what you're putting out there. This whole experience has lead me to believe that I'm successful if I'm putting out content that I'm passionate about, that I get excited about. Anything else simply will not do.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Gilmore Girls
Hypable

In honor of Mother’s Day, I have been thinking of all the things my mom does for my family and me. Although I couldn’t write nearly all of them, here are a few things that moms do for us.

They find that shirt that’s right in front of you, but just you can’t seem to find.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

10 Reasons To Thank Your Best Friend

Take the time to thank that one friend in your life you will never let go of.

3712
Thank You on wooden blocks

1. Thank you for being the one I can always count on to be honest.

A true friend will tell you if the shirt is ugly, or at least ask to borrow it and "accidentally" burn it.

2. Thank you for accepting me for who I am.

A best friend will love you regardless of the stale french fries you left on the floor of your car, or when you had lice in 8th grade and no one wanted to talk to you.

Keep Reading...Show less
sick student
StableDiffusion

Everybody gets sick once in a while, but getting sick while in college is the absolute worst. You're away from home and your mom who can take care of you and all you really want to do is just be in your own bed. You feel like you will have never-ending classwork to catch up on if you miss class, so you end up going sick and then it just takes longer to get better. Being sick in college is really tough and definitely not a fun experience. Here are the 15 stages that everyone ends up going through when they are sick at college.

Keep Reading...Show less
kid
Janko Ferlic
Do as I say, not as I do.

Your eyes widen in horror as you stare at your phone. Beads of sweat begin to saturate your palm as your fingers tremble in fear. The illuminated screen reads, "Missed Call: Mom."

Growing up with strict parents, you learn that a few things go unsaid. Manners are everything. Never talk back. Do as you're told without question. Most importantly, you develop a system and catch on to these quirks that strict parents have so that you can play their game and do what you want.

Keep Reading...Show less
friends
tv.com

"Friends" maybe didn’t have everything right or realistic all the time, but they did have enough episodes to create countless reaction GIFs and enough awesomeness to create, well, the legacy they did. Something else that is timeless, a little rough, but memorable? Living away from the comforts of home. Whether you have an apartment, a dorm, your first house, or some sort of residence that is not the house you grew up in, I’m sure you can relate to most of these!

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments