Who Am I?

Who am I?  A question I have pondered for the longest time; one many others have asked as well. Identity has been something I've struggled with for almost my entire life, but now I think I have an answer.
My name is Alyssa and I'm a freshman biology major from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Ever since I could pick up a pencil I've been a writer. The one I remember writing about two rival fairies fighting to be queen of all the fairy children; I was eight years old.  Back then I only wrote for fun. It wasn't until I was twelve that I began to take writing seriously. I had two other writer friends. We all wrote a collaborative fan fiction that consisted of multiple fandoms. It was enjoyable at first, but as our story progressed I realized I was the only one who had their own characters and plot. The concept of using another world made me uneasy. So what did I do? I started my own story with my own ideas and characters. 
Back then I had no direction. The plot was everywhere. My characters were static. Over the years I've improved tremendously. The little story that started out as a creative outlet is now a full blown novel. Though the plot and characters have changed more times than I can count, this story is my child. It's called Queen of Light, a young adult fantasy that sets to redefine the fantasy genre and its capabilities.

My story is by no means perfect, but after almost seven years of working on it, most of the big issues have been sorted out. My story and writing have come such a long way. It's incredible to look back at the beginning of my journey to see how much I've improved. I've even entered writing contests for with the short stories I've written. This past year I got first place in one held by a local college. 
Now I even mentor other teen writers. Nobody taught me how to write or edit; I taught myself. And I'm grateful that God has given me such a talent. So I use what I know to help those who struggled as I did all those years ago. I'm by no means a perfect writer, I just do my best. I hope my experiences and guidance can make a difference in the lives of writers and readers everywhere. 
Keep writing, my friends. I know you can achieve great things.