Shari Lopatin

All the “weirdos,” all the “stupids,” all the “oddballs.” I’m proud to walk among you, because my uniqueness is what makes my writing stand out.

Were you ever bullied as a kid? Forced to give up your milk money? Endured long hours of whispers or sly smirks, followed by giggles behind your back? Maybe you weren’t cool, maybe you blinked too much. Maybe you looked five years younger, or maybe your legs stretched too long.

But today, you’re different. Your writing stands out from the crowd. And that’s freakin’ awesome.

Let me tell you why

Whether you’re an artist, writer, marketer, photographer … etc. … you see things differently than others. You think “out of the box,” which makes you the best at what you do.

And hey, if it wasn’t for all those great, awkward experiences in your youth, do you really think you’d have all this awesome material to pour onto paper?

I’m sure you’ve heard of the international bestseller, “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” Author Jeff Kinney said in a 2010 Huffington Post interview, “I was an average kid, but I definitely had my wimpy moments. I used to spend my swim team practices down by the creek, collecting tadpoles, until I got caught by my mom.”

Don’t you just love it?

So embrace your outcast-ness!

I sure do hunker down and hang onto mine. Oh, and now that I’m 30, I LOVE looking younger (contrary to my years as a teenager).

WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT YOU? What aspect of yourself do you embrace that’s different from the crowd—which you use as a writer, or artist, or just overall creative?