I have more freedom when I write fiction, but my memoirs have had a much stronger impact on my readers. Somehow the 'message,' even if I am not even aware that there is one, is conveyed better in this form.
“I still can't really believe it. They just told us, 'Hey, you're doing great. Keep it up.'”
“We lived within two hundred yards of the sea, and its voice was in our ears night and day.”