I'll give my 2 cents also.
Cornering is a vital element, you can loose a lot of energy/power if you brake to much or stop hitting the pedals to early before cornering and getting too late on the pedals after the corner. But the only way to learn is to try it. Look for a club (womens) ride on a closed circuit with cat.4/fun racers. When you feel comfortable in those races then you can step up to crits.
And like eden sated, be prepared to get dropped, don't feel disappointed it happens to EVERYBODY! It could take quite a few rides before you finally say 'I did it! I finaly rode like I was a member of the pack'. And that is a great feeling