Ah, Odyssey; the voice of aspiring millennial writers everywhere. I had the opportunity to write for Odyssey the past few weeks as I finished up my college career, and I learned a few things along the way.

1. Thinking of article topics is hard.

I had about three ideas for articles when I first started, but after that it would take me hours to think of a topic I wanted to pursue each week. I commend people who write for a living.

2. The EIC for your school is ridiculously busy.

With at least 12 articles coming their way each week, they have a lot of work to do in order to edit each piece and make it the best it can be. So go and thank your EIC (thanks, Jess!).

3. The Odyssey Assistant Managing Editor for your school is basically your guardian angel.

They read your articles, are an advocate for you and your school and if you have a problem are always willing to help. Odyssey AMEs are great people (Thanks, Isobel!).

4. Just because you have an outlet doesn’t mean people will want to read what you write

When I first started, I thought that I would have tons of people wanting to read what I wrote and that was definitely not the case. An outlet does not equal readers, and that’s something I learned the hard way.

5. The incentives aren’t spectacular.

A draw for people to write for Odyssey may be the potential monetary incentives. Although a new incentive system has recently been established, the one a writer is most likely to receive is awarded for having the most shared article from their school for the week. This is harder than it sounds. See below.

6. Getting shares sounds easy, but it can be really difficult.

I figured that if I posted my article on Facebook my friends would share it, and then their friends would, and I would easily have over a 1,000 shares on each article. My highest shared article has barely over 100. This is due to a multitude of reasons, but it still sucks that my articles didn’t make it as far as I had hoped.

7. There are now 10,000 writers.

I used to see the occasional Odyssey article on Facebook, but now they’re everywhere. Opinion pieces are becoming extremely saturated on the internet, and I foresee this becoming a potential problem for writers in the future.

8. Your editors are human and make mistakes too.

Some writers expect their editors to capture every little mistake he or she makes, but editors are people too and sometimes miss things. It’s important to love them anyway and thank them for all the hard work they put in.

9. Writing is a great way to put yourself out there without physically having to put yourself out there.

For extremely shy people, such as myself, being able to express yourself over the internet is fantastic. I can talk to people without having to talk to people… what more could I ask for?

10. It can also be incredibly freaking stressful.

You know what’s fun? Writing an entire article, re-reading it and then deleting it because you absolutely hate it. Writing can be a tough process.

11.You are able to connect with a lot of people and make a difference.

I wrote one article about how being called fat didn’t bother me, and I connected with many people through my school and my extended network about body positivity. It was so amazing to have people so engaged with my work, and it was so amazing to know that I helped them feel more comfortable in their skin.

I have enjoyed my time writing for Odyssey immensely, and with graduation quickly approaching I know I will always remember this opportunity. It has been an incredible journey, and I would like to thank everyone for supporting me by reading and sharing my articles, and just listening to me complain when I couldn’t think of something to write about.

For now, Abby, out.