Writing abut something that happened in your own life must appear effortless, otherwise you’ll stumble over meanings and get lost in syntax. Again, the importance of detachment cannot be stressed too much.

The characters in your story will be those you hold dear or those you wish would drop off the page never to be seen again.

However, the latter characters add tension to your writing and are necessary for understanding whatever messy contretemps you’ve managed to create for yourself on the page.

Remember turning your story into prose is an entirely different process.