A quote frequently attributed to Hemingway says, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit at a typewriter and bleed.” While I can’t speak for the attribution of the quote, it’s always echoed in my mind. Writing is about the intimate sharing of thoughts, ideas, and relatable feelings—from the Odyssey article to the narrative essay to the personal poem. Writing is an intimate art, and probably one of the only intimate arts that’s also hyper-public: a writer’s piece is written to be both personal and relatable, both unique and universal. A good piece of writing achieves both, and it is up to the writer to sacrifice enough so that they can accomplish both.

Writing would be no fun if it was all about pain, though. For me, writing is a search for continually better phrasing, better ideas, and more universal truths. As Kerouac said, “One day I will find the right words and they will be simple.” I write because the human condition is a continual search for the right words; I write because I am trying to be more.

Since I was little, I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I used to think I would write popular novels, children’s books, or win prizes. I think growing up has helped me realize that I might never do those things, and that’s okay. Thinking back to the first “book” I ever wrote—“Too Many Ladybugs”, stapled together on lined paper—I think my younger self would be proud because although I haven’t written novels, I am a writer. I hope that one day I can make a difference with my writing, not just in my own life but in the lives of my community and the world around me.

So writing for me isn’t just about putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), but about a personal experience that spans generations and is still thriving today. If you are considering writing in any capacity (shameless plug: write for the Odyssey), it’s rewarding and worthwhile. If you imagined yourself as a writer as a child, consider going back to your roots and picking up an age-old trade.