To be completely honest, the idea of writing articles and publishing them on social media is absolutely petrifying. People are actually going to read my writing. My ideas. My thoughts. For someone who only ever wrote for herself, the idea of my writing being out in the open for people to read -- and possibly disagree on -- is scary. I am literally putting my thoughts and ideas on paper (or a Word document, in this case) and publishing it for the world to see.
No pressure.
I personally love to write and find that writing can be a great escape from reality. But I’ve only ever shared my writing on an anonymous writing site. Writing to me is an escape from reality. I am a huge bookworm and when I want to escape from reality and dive into a fantasy dream land, I pick up a book. Books give readers inspiration and allow our minds to wander away from the world around us. When there is a specific ‘world’ or place I want to delve into and there isn’t a book about that place or scenario, no problem.
My solution: write it myself.
I don’t like to talk about my writing, or what I write about, but I’m going to be real for a moment. I write. A lot. It’s not necessarily good writing, but people seem to enjoy it when they stumble across it on my writing account. I write for myself and for my own personal escape, but when I can create a virtual world for someone else to dive into to escape reality, that alone is pretty satisfying.
I’m sure there will be many times on a Friday evening that I will be sitting down to my computer to try and write up a last minute article. I will probably question why I decided to join this community of writers and I will have to remind myself of my passion for writing. The most intimidating thing for writers is the blank page. The white page of the Word document staring back at you, the flashing cursor that mocks you as you struggle to come up with that perfect opening sentence. Some weeks, I may not even get an article up in time, but I’m willing to try. I’m willing to break out of my shell and create a voice for myself and for my community.
So back to why I decided to write for Odyssey. To be honest, I don’t really know. Maybe somewhere deep inside myself, I’ve decided it’s time for me to branch out of my comfort zone. Sure, it will take some adjusting, considering most of what I write is fiction-based and Odyssey is nonfiction. But I am up for the challenge. I’ve loved going through articles and reading my peer’s opinions on different current events happening in the community or the funny lists they come up with to describe college life. To be able to contribute to such a growing community on social media is a very exciting challenge. A challenge I am willing to accept and run with.
