Writing.Com General Discussion

My question is more about intent. If you were not writing your memoirs or an autobiography of sorts, then what was your intention. Legally, this is what may trip you up. For example, if you were somehow trying to express your anger about how someone treated you or the wrongs they committed. And, if you used your writings as a form of lashing out. Then it will be clear to a judge that you meant harm.

The obvious truth is that you can change enough of any description of a person or event to make it questionable that you were indeed referring to any specific person. Plus, you can always state clearly, as well, at the beginning of the book that all references, descriptions, and so on, are purely fictitious and are not intended to referer to a living person, or something like that.