And I'm the only one!

 “And IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII’m the only one!”
And Tigger bounds off to bowl someone else over with his sheer optimism. Even his optimism about being the only one of his kind.
But if you’ve watched enough of the Winnie the Pooh movies (which, unfortunately, I have—five younger siblings), you know that even Tigger gets tired of being the only one.
Let’s face it. Writing is not called the lonely craft without reason.
One of two things happen. Let’s take a look, shall we?

One: I’m the only one.
How do you know if you are the only one?

1. You checked the satellite images on Google Maps and couldn’t find any writing desks.
2. Someone at church asked you if you published your book—the one you finished two weeks ago.
3. When you refer to an argument you had with your main character, others think you’re referring to the new person that moved in next door.
4. When you dissect a movie plot, everybody decides it’s time to head to the kitchen for more popcorn.
5. And last, but certainly not least, when you spot a typo on a store sign, everyone gives you THE LOOK.

Sometimes it just feels like no one gets it. When you need to talk things out about your writing, you don’t have someone to turn to. They don’t get the things that make you bounce. Everyone is crazy supportive—they just don’t give you the support you need. You’re tired of being the only one. You want another writer.

Two: I WISH I were the only one.
How can you tell if you WISH you were the only one?

1. You headed to your critique group and when you got there, they had just finished vacuuming the shreds of your manuscript off the floor.
2. You’ve just completed your project and notice that your new friend’s writing project is shaping up suspiciously like yours.
3. When you mention you’re going to a writer’s conference, you automatically have five people campaigning for the shotgun seat in your car.
   

I am in neither of these situations. I have great people who, writers or not, give me the support I need.  I hope you do, too. But if you don’t—whether you’re lonely or just tired of people—here’s the bottom line.
You are the only one. There is no other writer in the whole universe who will come up with your story and tell it the way you will. And the same is true of every other writer on the planet. You have a message that no one else can write. Not just any message, but a message God gave you—a message He understands completely. So don’t worry—no one is going to take over your book, because they can’t.  And don’t worry—Somebody gets you.
So go ahead and just be you.
Now that we’ve got that covered . . .  I have a list to make of people I’d like to bowl over. After all, everybody likes Tigger, and he does it all the time. I think I’ll start with the person who put a typo on that sign . . . :)