I started college two years ago as a journalism major, which eventually transformed into a Creative Writing major. I always enjoyed writing, or trying to, but never really knew what I wanted to do with it. In high school I helped my friends edit and rework their papers and I enjoyed doing that as well. I thought that once I got into college I would figure out a specific path to take, but I had no such luck. Then, this past January, I saw that one of my friends joined the Odyssey as a writer and that they were looking for more writers. I looked into it and immediately applied. I thought I would just be a writer but, by a sheer accidentally push of the button, I ended up applying for and being hired as the editor-in-chief of my college’s Odyssey team. Now here I am, 6 months later, transferring colleges and stepping down as editor, and I can honestly say I’m going to miss the position. Here’s my top 5 reasons for why I loved being editor for the Odyssey.
1. I got to work on my leadership skills
The picture above is exactly what I learned as editor. When I started the job, I thought it would be easy. Just a group of college students who love to write working together. It shouldn't have required that much work. Well, I was wrong. I had to learn how to handle people who were more sassy than most. I had to realize that some people require different forms of motivation than others. The hardest part was learning that I couldn't take on too much an authoritarian complex because my team rebelled against it for the most part. I had to learn to work with them, while still inspiring and encouraging them to meet deadlines and write great articles.
2. I learned new writing styles
I write a lot of my articles in the same way every time. They're just ideas I came up with that I form an opinion on. After a while though, that style seemed dull to me and I realized that the writing I was editing was vastly different from my own. I have fantastic writers who use nonfictional elements to their writing to tell the story they want readers to hear. I have others who use song lyrics, Bible verses or quotes to create a beautiful article about their feelings. Others use statistics and news techniques to create a journalistic approach. Each and every one has a style and each on is beautiful in its own way. I never noticed that until I began editing.
3. I was opened up to new perspectives
Obviously, I have my own opinions about things, as do most writers. I tried to keep out of the heavily political or news related pieces because I didn't want to anger people with my own opinions. That doesn't mean, however, that my writers chose to do the same. I'm proud of them because a lot of them did decide to write on the hard topics in the world today and each one had their own angle on the situation. Every time I edited an article, I got to see the world from the writer's point of view. Sometimes it changed my opinions. Sometimes it strengthened my resolve. Either way, it was great to see the different perspectives that are out there.
4. I met new people
Most of our interactions were online, but I still managed to make new connections with people from my school. It was nice to talk to someone over email and then eventually recognize that person when I walked past them on campus. A lot of my writers were never even in my classes, I would never have met them, but through the Odyssey I was introduced to so many more people than I would have been.
5. My resolve to write in the future was strengthened
My doubts began to take over while I was in college. I was surrounded by other writers who were good at what they did. I started to wonder if I had what it took to become a writer someday. While I still wonder sometimes, I now know that I won't give up on myself. I love it too much. Even when the job was hard, or when I didn't know what to say, I still loved the challenge. I loved the ability to say something that someone else needed to hear. I liked being able to get out what I was thinking and hope it would change someone. If it hadn't have been for the Odyssey, I may have given up on my writing dreams.
There are so many things that I'll miss about being editor now that I've transferred schools. I still plan on writing, but it won't quite be the same. The time I had to work with my team and watch them grown in their writing is one that I will always cherish. I will forever be grateful for my time as an editor for the Odyssey.
