It has been a long time since I got the email that changed my life and the direction that it was going. It was an innocent email, one that I could have easily dismissed, but it had just the write amount of encouraging words for me to take it seriously. I got a message from Erin half-elvin. My first thought was probably "Great, a dungeons and dragons player."

The message was a compliment on my first story on FictionMania. I wrote and posted The Wishing Blanket and at the time, people found a story like that refreshing. It was also an invitation to post my stories on a much smaller site, a site named Big Closet.

Big closet was small back then and much different from what it is now. You didn't post your own stories, but sent it in and Erin posted it for you. Can you believe she read and edited all the stories back then. Of course, mine where atrocious. I could tell a good story, but I couldn't write to save my life. Spelling errors, poor grammar, and questionable syntax reined supreme. In one part of How Life Can Change I renamed a character for a few paragraphs. Erin was patient. She pointed out my more common mistakes. And I got better.

This site has let me grow as an author. My stories are more complex and more focused at the same time. I still make mistakes, but not as many and I've learned a thing or two about telling the story better. Part of it has been my own work, my constantly trying to get better. But the greater part is that I have a platform to get feedback and that it is a positive place. Rarely do I have to worry about negativity and when it does show up, it is quickly dealt with.

Now I am reaping the rewards of what this site has provided. I always wanted to be a writer,ever since the fourth grade. I loved getting in front of my class and sharing a story I wrote.

Without Big Closet, there would be no getting ranked on Amazon, because there would be no novels. If I would have stuck with FictionMania, I would have quit after a few poor comments. Not only would there be no stories, there would be no Katie either.

I would not be so far in my walk to be my true self if it weren't for Joyce and this site. She has become a true friend and mentor. She has answered far too many silly questions and cheered me on as I made baby steps. I am actually transitioning, that would never have happened without big closet.

In a dreary existence, there was a light from a big closet that brought me happiness and I am proud to be one of this sites success stories and hope there are many others who follow after me in pursuit of their dreams. Whether if it is publishing, transitioning, or escaping the trap that is living in a gender you don't belong, there are people here who care and wish you the best. Don't let this resource go to the wayside.

(If this was a sermon, I would pass the collection plate around now).