An article has recently surfaced by some guy with a strong opinion on Odyssey. He said Odyssey was full of a bunch of talentless hacks and said: "Odyssey directly promotes the infectious spread of a new, substandard method of lingual communication." Wow. Well, that is a strong opinion Mr. Biochemistry major. I understand everyone has their opinion, but when your opinion is rude and has no purpose, there's really no room for it.
The writer of the article said and I quote "Now, I’m no literary critic. I mean, look at the article you just read. I write like an angsty fifteen-year-old and I can hardly use a thesaurus." Okay, so why did they feel the need to rip apart other people's writing? Is tearing people down supposed to make you feel better about yourself? News flash it almost never does. He wrote how Odyssey is just full of a bunch of liberal arts majors who can't write. That's not right at all. One of my good friends who writes for Odyssey is a psychology major, and her articles are some of the best I've ever read. They're better than mine and I'm a communications major. Here are some of the things I have learned from writing for Odyssey.
1. Confidence in my writing
Okay, so anyone who knows me knows the one thing I lack more than anything is confidence. When I first learned we had to share every piece we did, I was terrified. I didn't want my family or anyone I know to read what I wrote. It's one thing when you can write and just imagine no one sees it, it's completely different when you know exactly who reads it. Odyssey has taught me to be confident and proud of my writing.
2. Appreciate the work it takes
Whenever I used to read articles for any websites I thought it was easy and a quick process. Boy, was I wrong. I learned the time and commitment it actually takes to produce an article you're proud of.
3. How to deal with critics
So I'm no stranger to criticism towards my writing, and before I started working here I would have let that get to me. But now I know that everyone has an opinion and they're not always going to agree with me, and that's okay. It's a good feeling having people talk about your article, good or bad.
4. You have a voice
Everyone has a voice and the right to express it. Now if you're just using your voice to be mean and tear people down, feel free to keep your voice silent.
5. Everything matters to someone
No matter what you write about, it will be relevant to somebody. Someone out there has the same dreams or beliefs that you do. You've just got to find them.
So, there it is: the top five things that I will take away from writing for Odyssey. It has been a pleasure writing for them and gaining the experience I need for my field. Don't listen to one guys opinion and judge us all. Thank you, Odyssey.
