I consider the art of writing to be one of my greatest skills. The ability to put words together in a way that flows in a smooth rhythm is not something that everyone can do, and I feel lucky enough to be able to articulate my thoughts on paper and on the internet.
Writing first became a passion of mine way back in elementary school when I used to create short comics, with my inspiration coming from the popular book series Captain Underpants. I also created my own short stories, using the names of some of my best friends at the time as characters. What first started as a hobby quickly became one of my favorite things to do. My friends and family began reading my crazy fantasies, each of which was accompanied by wildly mediocre drawings, courtesy of yours truly.
As I grew older (and by older I mean middle school and high school), I lost the time and means to continue my side show. Instead, my love for writing was simply used for tests, essays, and research papers. As you may have guessed, these weren't exactly fun or creative ways to use my talents. While my English teachers lauded my ability to write, I felt that what I was doing wasn't enough. I needed an outlet to showcase what I could do, as well as have some way to express all of the crazy thoughts going through my head.
It wasn't until my sophomore year of college that I found that outlet. I started my own blog, titled Zone 6 Blog after the Ohio State receiving corps, dedicated to discussing Ohio State football and basketball. What started out as just that, I slowly began to talk about controversial sports topics in general, such as Cam Newton's post-Super Bowl press conference or the fast-growing league of E-Sports. I didn't always draw a ton of readers, but writing for an audience in general allowed me to voice my opinions on things that mean the most to me.
As my viewership started to drop, it became apparent to me that I needed somewhere new to write my stories, somewhere more high profile than a Wordpress blog. And so I applied to write for The Odyssey. It felt like months before I finally heard back after applying (it was actually like three months, no hard feelings guys), but when I did I couldn't have been more excited.
Writing for this website has been incredible. I've expanded my horizons for what I write about, discussing my personal life, my passion for sports, and political/social issues. Maybe my viewership isn't as high as I would like it to be sometimes, but I know that I'm doing something that I love, something that has bettered me as a writer and as a person. I know for a fact that I wouldn't be as well-rounded an individual as I am today without writing for this great website.
Writing will always be a passion of mine, a skill that I hope to continue honing even after my college days are over. It's an underrated ability in my eyes, and I couldn't be more proud to share all that I do with a national audience like I already do through The Odyssey.
