It was late on a Tuesday night, well, not late exactly, but it was dark. As we crammed ourselves into the small, back room, the meeting commenced. There were only a few of us present, six at most, and, as the room settled, our honorable leader began to speak. She addressed us as one and launched into the process of questioning us about our writing endeavors. We had come to discuss Odyssey (the very platform with which you are reading this). I, a new Odyssey writer, felt anxious. This meeting, although presented in a friendly ‘get-together’ kind of way, just screamed of some sort of reprimand. I didn’t think I had done anything to be lectured for, but one can never be too careful. The atmosphere was calm and laid back, but I couldn’t shake that feeling of dread.
As discussions were had and progress made, the conversation began to drift to the aspect of motivation. Why did we write for Odyssey? What was our purpose? What did it mean to us? I had no idea how to answer. Until that moment, I had never once thought about my own motivation or the cause behind my actions. When I started writing for Odyssey, it had simply been a task that I felt I had to complete. Being an English major, I felt that it was expected of me to be active in the writing community. But, as time passed and I began to get into the flow of Odyssey, my mindset started to change. I realized, in that moment, in the middle of our meeting, that being an Odyssey writer meant something to me. It wasn’t just a means to an end or a requirement that I begrudgingly fulfilled, it held value to me as a person.
Odyssey, this website, allows for me, an ordinary college student, to develop and express my thoughts and feelings on a public level. The opportunity to become a published author, as I now am, never before reached me until I was introduced to Odyssey. And, although I will probably never say it in person, I have to thank our most honorable leader for pulling me into this interesting little group. Becoming an Odyssey writer has opened doors into my future and created paths with which I can someday traverse on the journey into adulthood. I cannot even begin to explain the feeling I get when I think about myself as a published author. The phrase itself strikes such awe in me, such wonder. And, it isn’t just me. I am only one piece of the Bethany College Odyssey community. A community of supportive, creative people that push me to become a better writer.
But, being a published author (gosh, I like saying that) isn’t the only thing that compels me to stay on as an Odyssey writer. I have always loved writing, loved the beautiful, dynamic flowing of words, loved the way a writer could piece sentences together and create a new world from scratch. The possibilities are endless. That being said, I am not the most driven writer. Honestly, I struggle to find motivation. With college life being as crazy as it is and classes taking up so much of my time, writing had begun to fall to the wayside. Odyssey has forced me (in the best possible way) to continue participating in the world of words. And, I couldn’t ask for more.
