People read with their ears, whether they know it or not.
To defend what you've written is a sign that you are alive.
Dare to tell the smallest of stories if you want to generate large emotions.
If you lose the dullards back in the dust, that's where they belong. You don't want them anyway.
Write about small, self-contained incidents that are still vivid in your memory. If you remember them, it's because they contain a larger truth that your readers will recognize in their own lives. Think small and you'll wind up finding the big themes in your family saga.
Hard writing makes easy reading. Easy writing makes hard reading.