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I realized so much of my life hasn't been in a well-lit room, and I realized the importance of documenting my experiences as a way to memorialize them.

I'm in a position to look back at my life, and I realized there were a number of experiences that needed to be documented.

I love being in the archives, traveling, sitting in dusty places and looking at books with brittle pages. I love reading biographies and researching, to make myself informed about whatever political or historical time I'm writing about. From there, a lot of the emotional truths about my characters emerge.

Looking back, I've always enjoyed hearing about the lives of other people, their experience through their jobs, their lives, and their children. It's always been a treat to hear about others.

I've been working on my autobiography, just pecking away in longhand. The more you write, the more you remember. The more you remember, the more detail you recall. It's not all pleasant!

I like the stories with the historical themes.

When people ask me about my story, I just go through the positive stuff: the tent-pole moments, the big landmark checkpoints.

I have always liked coming home and sharing what has happened that day with my loved ones. I like comparing notes. I know other people do, too. I think there is a human instinct to tell stories, no matter who you are or where you live.

I view the experiences that I have had - both the tough ones and the pleasant ones - as gifts.