I’m (22F) a writer and an adoptee with quite the life’s story to tell. After reading a plethora of adoptee, birth parent, and foster child memoirs books, I’ve formed the desire to write about my experiences. There’s some questions regarding this process that have been swirling about in my head.

1. How do I rid myself from the feeling of wanting to protect my biological family from the book? My bio mom in particular was pure evil during the time she had me, but that was 20 years ago. Yes, everything I’d be writing is the truth, but a very damaging truth. What if I ruin her life by publishing my story?

2. What details matter? What do people even want to hear about? There’s plenty I have to say on the matter but I don’t want to sound like a broken record if other adoptee books all feature the same sorts of themes.

3. How do I know that my story is worth telling?