Question: Did [X-event] really happen to you? (FAQ)

Yep.
That's totally me.

Short Answer: Yes.  But probably not. Although in truth, absolutely.  

Long Answer:

Writers tell the truth by lying, at least the fiction versions do, and that's what we're mostly talking about here at WAW. If I can't achieve perfect verisimilitude while lying through my guileful little writerly teeth, I'm not sure what the hell I'm even doing here. So if you're looking to fact-check me like I'm a journalist or something, I'll probably keep you quite busy, but if you listen closely, you're probably going to get more actual honesty than from most people who describe events "as they really happened."  

But yes, it probably happened. Maybe. I just may have some strange relationships with the truth.

Once in a while I write an article that isn't intended to be the usual shtick (like "Changing the Creepy Guy Narrative").  It's often way outside the realm of writing and contains events that––to me––involve enough gravitas that storytelling about them in a way that is not CLEARLY fiction might be hurtful to those who have experienced the events for real. It's usually pretty easy to tell when I'm being honest.

In general though, grains of salt. In my writing you'll find composite characters, characters who are fractured aspects of real people, personifications, fabrications, alien invasions, cloning machines, and talking cats.....just in case someone out there had it in their head to go A Million Little Pieces on me. 

So did it really happen? Absolutely. Sort of. Maybe. Undoubtedly. Did it really happen exactly the way I said? Perhaps. Probably not. Almost assuredly not. Except yeah. If I got some details wrong, it's probably because they were better off happening the way I said. Details need to know who's in charge. Did I change some facts without changing the core truth, or in fact to illuminate it? Almost certainly.  

Or...did you really think I actually lived with a team of superheroes?