Over the years, I've tried to develop some techniques to overcome my shyness. I want to go into journalism, so obviously I need to talk to people. When I'm going to interview someone, I like to plan out what I'm going to say before I say it (I guess even journalists who aren't shy have to do this). When I try to set up interviews, I have to be aggressive, so I try to play a character. I become "aggressive Linda."

If I know I'm going to be seeing a guy I like, I'll try and map out possible conversations beforehand. In my head, I have the funniest, most intelligent conversations, but it never comes out that way. I get all tongue-tied and forget what I'm going to say and end up sounding like a moron. One of these days, it's going to work.

It helps to come up with goals. In school, I try to force myself to speak at least once in every class. If I'm at a party, I'll force myself to introduce myself to at least one person. It's all about baby steps.

A friend once gave me some good advice. When I had trouble expressing myself, he said, just pretend you're talking about the Beatles. I love the Beatles. They are my all-time favorite band and when I talk about them I get visibly excited. So now I try to express myself like that no matter what I'm talking about.