Writing has always been a passion of mine ever since I can remember. It has been a way for me to express my thoughts and emotions when all else seems to fail.

Writing is therapeutic for me. Sometimes I struggle to communicate exactly what I want to say and how I feel, but when I write it all comes together.

Writing comes in many forms, but I feel particularly drawn to freestyle writing, argumentative essays, and haikus. I sometimes think about why I am drawn to different styles of writing, and I think I've come to realize that I need times where I can write with both structure and free-form.

Writing is a form of meditation.

When I write, I don't think about anything else going on around me. Whether it be a short or long article, writing gives me the opportunity to find meaning in what I do. Even if it sometimes seems like a trivial topic, through writing, I get to express a personal connection with the topic at hand.

Writing for Odyssey can sometimes prove challenging, as writer's block is definitely a thing that I often face.

At times, you know exactly what you want to write about and you end up writing for two hours straight without even realizing it. Other times, I find myself sitting at my laptop for hours on end without a single good idea about what to write about. The funny thing about writing though is that one idea often leads to another, and before you know it you end up with a web full of topics that interest you.

Writing gives me the power to share my thoughts with my peers. I have the chance to educate others about a certain topic I feel passionate about or a chance to give others perspective on a topic I care about. It gives me the opportunity to explore different ideas and share my own thoughts on the topic.

Writing has taught me how to take a step back and truly think about what is meaningful to me and what I wish to share with others.

Of course, most of my writing is mainly for myself, but in college, I decided to this a step further and start writing to share with my friends as well. Though the dynamic has changed, I continue to do what I love because it genuinely brings me joy to reflect back on my own thoughts and also have others share their thoughts and views on an article I wrote. It is a unique form of connection between people that I have grown to cherish.

I still remember a haiku I wrote in 4th grade about "writing":

The feeling of words,

dancing along the paper,

filling in the blanks.

Even this many years later, I still truly believe that writing is a creative form of expression that allows you to gather your thoughts and fill that "blank." It is something that I am grateful to always be able to turn back to throughout my life.