Marshalette, why are you afraid of copyright issues? Have you used material from another author? Aside from that, what you write is already copyrighted, once you've got a few lines enough to express an idea. (Ideas are not copyrightable, but I mean once you've got a few lines for a poem, or the start of a story, or your memoir is in a fixed format--it doesn't have to be complete--it is copyrighted.) If someone stole a significant portion of your work and claimed it to be theirs (or even if they didn't, but used a large amount without permission), you'd have the right to sue; however, you can get more damages if you register your copyright (at copyright.gov).