I was goth before it was Goth. I wrote stories suffused with darkness and angst. Protagonists antagonized unjustly who found through friends and families of choice the will and desire to persevere and triumph over adversity. Until a writing teacher told me no one would ever want to read a book like that written by a girl. Then... I stopped for about 17 years.

Now... I will do and write what I desire. I've learned there are a lot more of ME out there than there are of her.

You sound positively wonderful! how do I get you to advocate for me?

I was a track and cross country nerd, but running (and often alone) gave me quite a sense of determination and initiative that I wouldn't otherwise have had. When I was a freshman in high school, I would sprint the beginning of whatever race I was in and quickly tire out and then, I'm sorry to say so now, but I'd quit and come limping back to the starting line. My coach must have seen something in me that I didn't see. He was in the military as a young man and brought me his old flag, which said Semper Fi. He wouldn't let me quit, but he also taught me how to run a long race with more wisdom and more heart. So, dork or not, I did learn how to a.) be alone, and b.) not to quit when things got tough for me -- both were invaluable lessons in my life. xox

Go! Erin! Go! The energy pops off this article. I was the classically serious bookish one. The editor of my high school's literary magazine. I left the literary behind and ended up in public relations and marketing for television and did very well. I don't know how sometimes. But I found my way back to writing fiction, and I think that's because the girl from high school never really left me.

I was a nerd in high school. I was homeschooled and started college when I was 16 and I was super serious about everything in a giggly teenager sort of way. And I was ultra-religious, too, with a very conservative bent.

I am still a nerd, though one with a real fashion sense, and I haven't been to church in 12 years, plus I have extremely socially liberal values now. So I'm really different from my teen self (though aren't we all?).

But I would have to say that I'm still just as disciplined as I was back then. As a homeschooled teenager, I'd get up, do my schoolwork first in the mornings, and then spend the afternoons writing and reading. Now, as an adult, I get up, write throughout the morning, and spend my afternoons grading papers and reading. So in a way, not much has changed, except now I get to do the fun part--writing--first. :-)

Oh my gosh, this is INSPIRING. Especially the zombie cheerleader. She Writes is all about advocacy and working our tails off to help promote and support the best writing out there, and you can be our cheerleader any damn day.

Jenne- I think the thing about query letters sometimes is - and I know this is counterintuitive - but try not to overthink it. When in doubt, just keep it really concise. Unless it makes sense to try to move me to tears with your letter, I just want to skim it so I can get to your first page that much faster.

Great qs Agent Erin. Since we're confessing, I was (gulp) a "pom pon girl" -- we insisted we were different from the cheerleaders (no offense) because we danced -- and I'm gonna have to think about that connection to who I am today because I am, um, not sure. Except maybe it's that I think of myself as a dancer even though I no longer dance much at all, just like I'm a writer even when I'm not writing?!