At the beginning of the week, I had an idea to write about an event that took place at my school. Unfortunately, when I started typing up the article I realized I didn't have a lot of material to be able to write enough about it. I thought, it's a nice thing to talk about in person, but not really enough for an entire article to be about it.The problem I had after this was that I didn't know what my next article should be about.
The struggle is always real for anyone who's ever had to write about anything--ever-- and they're not sure of what to write. If this is you, then you understand my dilemma. Writer's block is one of the worst forms of torture we endure on a regular basis. Whether it's for a short story, a personal statement, that 5- page paper you left for the last minute for literally any class...the list goes on! But you know something that's worse than not having anything to write? Having so much to write about but no clue where to start. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm glad that I have different ideas to write about, but in this case it feels a little different.
When I first became a writer for Odyssey I realized that I had so many different ideas to write and I was excited to get started on them. However, this isn't that simple; now my problem is figuring which one to publish and whether I'm ready to share it.
I have several documents on my computer waiting to be finished so that they can be be published on Odyssey. I feel pretty confident about my work, which makes me happy, but a part of me is hold me back from sending them to get proofread because I'm not ready to share that part of myself with the world.
I wanted to start writing because it's something I've always been interested in and this would be a great place to do it. But a part of writing that some people don't realize is that it makes you more vulnerable. Sure, you can write about something with a sense of humor or just give an opinion on something, but you can't ignore writing about certain things that have been on your mind for a very long time. It's one thing to write about a movie you saw or what you think of the new Instagram logo; it's another to actually write about a personal experience that shows the world how you became the person you are today.
I always have this paranoid thought in the back of my mind that maybe it's not worth talking about or someone I know or used to know will think I'm full of myself for bringing up something that happened some time ago.
Writing what you're feeling or something very personal usually comes with risks but it's not a bad thing! Of course we need to be careful how we address things when it involves other people, but no one can tell you that your feelings or words don't matter. They're your experiences and if you remember them differently, that doesn't make you wrong!
We might not like what other people have to say, but it's only fair that we all get to share our voices, feelings, and memories if we choose to. Unless you're intending to hurt someone or you're Donald Trump; then it's best to leave things unsaid.
