Retrospective Lily

I am currently knee-deep in memoir territory. It’s been a wild ride.

I’ve laughed. I’ve cried. I’ve relived trauma and joy.

An old short story

A few months ago, I rediscovered an old notebook containing my first-ever short story. I wrote it in 6th grade. And, as you may notice, I was clearly inspired by “Scooby Doo.”

Here are the first few lines –

I sat at my desk, waiting for someone to call. Anyone. Today was my day to look after the Mystery Agency. My employees stuck around for this every night? I thought. In a small town like this, there aren’t any real crimes. Just minor break-ins and rare roberries.* Nothing juicy or remotely interesting. I leaned back in my chair, feeling pretty low. No calls the whole day. Nothing, nothing, noth- Ring, ring! The phone had finally uttered the music to my ears. I picked up the phone to hear sirens and police orders on the other line. A sobbing, shaking voice cried, “My baby!”

A smile from ear to ear spread across my face as I kept reading. (Don’t be alarmed by the sirens; no fictional characters were harmed in the making of this tale. Well, maybe a little. But they were fine by the end.)

Yes, the story is silly. But, given that it came from the mind of a precocious 11-year-old, it’s pretty great.

Things I mention in the story that I hadn’t yet experienced: giving a toast and drinking sherry, teenagers going on a date at the mall, “that time of the month.” Phrased just like that, quotation marks included.

I felt sorta vindicated because my narrative voice bled though those pages. I wrote it as a child, twenty years ago, but it still feels like “me.” It confirmed what I know deep down: this is who I’m meant to be.

* I love this misspelling. Ro-berries.

Audiobook recommendations

I’ve been obsessed with audiobooks recently, mostly memoirs. They provide guidance and inspiration for me. As I write, I picture how the words would sound if read aloud.

Everything I’ve read so far in 2026 has been fantastic –

• Semi Well-Adjusted by Alyson Stoner
• Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson
• Get It Done by Gretchen Rubin
• How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
• Over the Influence by Joanna “JoJo” Levesque
• Finding Me by Viola Davis
• Bossypants by Tina Fey
• Yes Please by Amy Poehler
• What in the World? by Leeanne Morgan
• The Year of Less by Cait Flanders
• Down the Rabbit Hole by Holly Madison
• I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai (currently reading)

It’s fascinating to see different approaches to the memoir. (I want to create another post about this because I have a few observations to share lol.) I just realized most of these authors are female. Maybe I will shake things up and go for a male celebrity next.

Is there a good memoir you’d recommend for me?

FYI: If you have a library card, you can use the Libby app to read books or listen to audiobooks for free.