Writing is something I have always loved and always utilized in order to express the way I feel, no matter if that feeling is excitement, happiness, anger, or sadness. Right now, I have been writing for The Odyssey for exactly a year and a half, and I have been the Editor in Chief for my team for 6 months.
For me, every single situation I am in or thing that happens to me can be turned around into a piece of art. When a new opportunity comes along, I can write about it. When something unexpected, whether it's good or bad, happens to me, I can write about it. When I have days where I'm just really down and don't know why, I can write something about it.
Being a writer means that everything you want to say or need to get off your chest can be turned into a piece that not only helps you get through it, but also other people.
When my heart is broken, I get my best pieces. So even when I'm dealing with a broken heart, I always think to myself, "Well, at least I can write about this." That is actually my favorite part - knowing that I will get something really good out of it.
Overall, I feel like I'm a good writer. The most rewarding times are when I have people who I don't even know reach out to me and tell me that they loved something I wrote and that it actually helped them get through something or come to a realization. That's happened more than once, and each team it moves me almost to tears.
As a child, I had a ton of journals and diaries. I would come home and almost every night I would just write about my day. If I had a little crush on a boy, I would fill the diary up with things all about him. I remember one specific time, in middle school, I had a serious crush on a boy and I had an entire diary all about him. Well, one day came and I guess my heart was broken, and I ripped every single piece in that journal up and threw it away.
That's actually probably my biggest regret, because those are entries that 10 years later I will never remember or be able to read. I have memories of writing about him, but nothing to prove it.
Now, I get to utilize The Odyssey's platform to write whatever I want and have it published. At first, this was very intimidating. But now, it's just the norm.
Writing like this and spilling everything about myself makes me very vulnerable. Anyone in the entire world can read something that was created in my own thoughts and know a little more about me, and I won't even know their name. It's crazy to think about, but it's the truth.
While I may just be an amateur at all of this, I know that I am growing from this as a person and a writer. Sometimes, I read my old articles and think to myself all of the ways it could be better. Someday, I hope to write my own novel. Now that is one serious goal.
For anyone that loves to write or may be nervous about writing and being published, my advice to you is to just do it. Yes, it is absolutely nerve wrecking and intimidating to publish and personal piece for everyone to see, but it is also beautiful. It is truly a work of art that the right people will adore. Do it, I promise you that it is nothing but rewarding in the end.
