I thought this was fascinating, so I interviewed another neurologist about it, then began combing through medical literature about TBI. I discovered that even seemingly minor head injuries could alter an individual's personality, often significantly. I also learned that while there are some commonalities for many traumatic brain injury sufferers, such as headaches and a lack of "filter"-that is, saying what's on your mind instead of masking it for the sake of those around you-there's a bit of a snowflake effect, too; no two TBI suffers behave the same way after injury. In rare instances, some people develop abilities, such as being able to quickly learn new languages, while others speak in a different tone of voice or accent than they used to.

I realized it would make a great novel, so I sketched out the plot for Forgetting-the story of Marissa, a strong yet insecure magazine editor, and her charismatic best friend Julia, who suffers a brain injury-and began writing. Midway through writing the first draft, I realized I needed more information, so I interviewed several other neurologists and began spending time in online chat rooms for brain injury survivors and their families and friends.

Interestingly enough, when I told two close friends about the novel's storyline, both were shocked-it turns out that their childhood best friends had each suffered brain injuries that had forever altered their friendships. This confirmed for me that while my novel was fictional, it was rooted in truth-and my friends' insights also helped me significantly in revising later drafts of Forgetting.

JH: Where does your own fascination with the line between memory and myth come from?

CNP: Here again I've been influenced by my work as a journalist. A few years ago, I became really interested in memory research and I was surprised to learn that the more times we recall something-let's say a first kiss with a former flame-the less likely our memory is to be accurate, because we begin to impart our own opinions and emotions onto the event. It made me wonder: which part of my own memories are real, and which are created? Is memory's real purpose not to recall, but to soothe our psyche?

A year and a half ago, I got back in touch with an old friend who had once been as close to me as anyone in my life. We hadn't spoken in years, and when we finally discussed our falling out, we had completely different recollections of what had happened. Was one of us right-or were we both wrong? I'll never know. The joy of writing fiction, of course, is that as the author, you do know; you're the one with all of the answers, even if you may not initially be aware of them as you're writing.

JH: In your experience as a journalist have you written extensively about women's friendships?

CNP: I've written extensively about the health benefits of friendship, which are not too shabby: women with strong social ties enjoy better heart health, lower rates of depression and reduced mortality from all causes, among other perks.

At the same time, when I interview women for journalism stories, one thing I hear again and again is, "I'm too busy for a social life." It makes me think of the phrase "alone together," because here we are, connected by Facebook, email, cell phone and countless other forms of technology, and yet we're lonelier than ever.

Personally, I love being around other people and I'm very social in a crowd; yet like many writers, my inclination is to act like a hermit, hunkering front of my computer in the name of "work." I have several good friends who have taught me to get out of my shell and enjoy life, even when work beckons, and my relationships with these women influenced Forgetting more than any of the uneven friendships I've had.

JH: How has writing your first novel changed your nonfiction writing?

CPN: The real impact is in the opposite direction: my journalism skills have benefited my fiction immensely. There's the research aspect, obviously, but two nonfiction skills-learning to get over perfectionism (if you obsess too much, after all, you'll never meet your deadlines) and to work quickly when you're able, rather than waiting for that perfect inspired time-were the reason I was able to complete a fiction manuscript. It's no coincidence that I was finally able to write a novel once I'd spent a decade improving my journalism skills.

JH: Tell me a little bit about your writing life and rituals.

CNP: My ritual centers around timing: I'm not a night person, but I sit down to write fiction most evenings at eight because that's when I have the time and the mental space to do so. My days are reserved for journalism stories and being with my children; but at night, my stories are filed, my phone isn't ringing, my inbox isn't overflowing and the kids are in bed. I've been doing this for almost three years now, and I wonder if I'll have to train myself to write fiction during the day if I ever have the luxury of being a full-time novelist.

JH: What's the one true thing you learned from Julia and Marissa?

CNP: It can be hard to weather the rough patches in a friend's life, but it's harder still to be genuinely happy for a friend who's experiencing success or going through an especially good period. (As Morrissey puts it, "we hate it when our friends become successful.") Julia is there for Marissa when the going gets tough, cheering her along and reminding her of her worth; her true crime against their friendship is that when Marissa falls in love, Julia panics and fears that she'll be left alone, and she sabotages Marissa's relationship once (and later attempts to do it a second time, too), without fully realizing what she's doing.

Camille Noe Pagán writes for Parade, Arthritis Today and Women's Health, among others, and blogs at SvelteGourmand.com and theWAHMdiaries.com. The Art of Forgetting is her first novel. She lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan with her husband, three-year-old daughter and six-month-old son.