Magic and irony all rolled up into one. My daughter singing a song about running from the daylight as I, her mother wrote a memoir titled 'Running Into the Night.'

We can either succumb to the adversity or decide not to give in. Decide and declare that adversity will not win.

Certain songs, smells, places, or objects become emotional landmines. They transport you instantly back to the worst moments. In memoir, these sensory triggers are gold—they're the details that help readers feel what you felt.

When you write about being an "easy target," you risk becoming one again—to critics, to trolls, to people who don't understand. But that vulnerability is also what makes memoir powerful.

You can be factually accurate and emotionally dishonest. You can also have imperfect memory and be deeply, powerfully honest.