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| Our lawn mower was a little bigger than this one. |
Now at the time, there weren't MP3 players. There was just the radio (or my CD player but those things always skipped when you were on the lawnmower.) As I was mowing the lawn this past week I realized that many of the songs on my iPod were the same as those I listened to on the radio when I was younger and mowing the lawn.
There's something about doing the same chore, with the same weather, looking at the same scenery, with the same songs as accompaniment, that just takes you back. As the 90's and early 00's songs rolled on through my iPod I could distinctly recall other places I'd been during those songs (School dances, softball games, long drives for vacation, hanging out with friends). It's amazing how much one can recall with just the slight trigger.
Of course I relate this to writing. I think it's powerful when an author uses the seemingly smallest, insignificant events to have a character recall something about their past. It's a great way to learn more about the character and feels natural, because we all do it. Memories are a powerful thing. They've stood the test of time.As I'm doing revisions on one story and finishing up the first draft of another, I'm trying to make a conscious effort to let my characters remember the past. Even if I don't write it down, my characters are three dimensional when I know about their past because it motivates what they do now and what they want for the future.
What triggers memories for you? Smells, sounds, places, people? Have you had a moment like this recently? Do your characters recall their past?
All of those things trigger memories, but mostly, it's songs. At the weekend, I met up with my two best friends from high school - and the night before, I played a CD of our favourite boyband from when we were at school. It was amazing how many things came to mind!
ReplyDeleteI'm *such* a nostalgic person... everything triggers memories for me. The time of year, music, locations, etc... And I love to reflect on the past. Sometimes it's prob not a good thing, because I want to create past magic that can never be as amazing as the first time you felt it ;) But LOVE application to writing here. So true!
ReplyDeleteSongs for sure. Places, books, and movies do too...reminding me mostly of childhood events.
ReplyDeleteIn my current MS, my MC loses someone and things trigger memories of that person through the whole rest of the book. I used smells, sounds, dialogue, scents...pretty much everything I could think of to remind her of that person. Difficult but sooo three dimensional, like you said.
Riding in the car and an old song comes on. Reminds of my parents (especially my dad) signing in the front seat as my brother and I watch the scenery buzz by. Oh the good old days.
ReplyDeleteHaha, this is so my weakness. I've been told I don't put enough flashbacks in my stories. I'm an eluder, lol.
ReplyDeleteAll of the above triggers memories for me. Recently Rihanna's new music video 'Where have you been' triggered a thought of Kale and Deidra from my upcoming ebook novella Sacrifice Her. He's a wanderer she meets while on the run from being a human sacrifice.
ReplyDeleteAw, the CD player. Brings back memories. Mowing? Thankfully never had to. I was the designated dish washer in my teens.
Songs can be quite a trigger. I can't listen to some of the songs that were played at my wedding because they make me cry. They will always be tied completely to that one moment in time.
ReplyDeleteI don't like a TON of flashbacks, I want to be in the here and now of the story. But strategically placed memories can be used as an amazing tool to get to know the character. In My Heart for Yours they do it so well you almost crave the before time. You want to see them when they were so in love.
ReplyDeleteMusic always take me back.
I always find myself doing this now, remembering back to the past. I think you're right, knowing a character's past helps us understand their motivation. Flashbacks can be a great tool to use.
ReplyDeleteYes! All of those things. :) Great point, Kelley!
ReplyDeleteYES! All sorts of things trigger memories for me. Music is a huge one, as well as food, or restaurants or places. It's kind of weird when a memory can spring to mind, but I love it! I usually end up laughing to myself, and then people think I'm crazy! :)
ReplyDeleteI myself flashback to high school times when I hear certain songs, but my characters don't do that much. Maybe it should.
ReplyDeleteI love trying to figure out my characters' pasts, even if I don't include it in the manuscript. And using this technique will be so helpful when I'm trying to add a little backstory!
ReplyDeletewe could write a history for our characters that readers only peek at!
ReplyDeleteps, you're in my award story =)
I love getting glimpses into characters' pasts. It definitely can bring them more to life.
ReplyDeleteSmell is the biggest one for me. I remember so many things connected to strong smells. Like limes, ETERNITY cologne, Orbit Spearmint gum...oh the memories.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Yes, my main character does a lot of recalling in my WiP. I had to have it that way because most of the story takes place in a 24-hour period, so, to get to know her and the other characters, she has to have flashbacks. I love memory segments, but sometimes it's tricky weaving them in naturally. :)
ReplyDeleteSmells take me back to my past the most. Sometimes I'll step outside and smell the dry air and it takes me right back to my grandparents' house in California. And one time I smelled garbage and remembered Hong Kong. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Hong Kong, but it doesn't always smell good. ha ha!
One of my WiPs I have the MC remember back to what it was like being tucked in bed by her parents. Short trip down memory lane.
ReplyDeleteI do some of my best thinking while I'm mowing!
ReplyDeleteI HATED mowing the lawn as a kid! The sound of the engine starting up gives me a panic attack :)
ReplyDeleteSeeing the back room in my paternal grandparents' dugout (basement) takes me back to my depressing junior high of high school, when my family was living there and that room was used as our computer room. Every time since then I've been back there, I'm hit by waves of memories of a depressed, anguished, trapped feeling, remembering all the hours I spent writing and playing on our old '93 Mac and watching the little TV back there, just trying to get away from the tension upstairs.
ReplyDeleteSurprisingly, I find that smells often evoke the most powerful memories. Perhaps because I only noticed them on a subconscious level when the memory first happened. The smell of a wet morning at the right time of year around my house can remind me of the times I spent on my grandparents farm back when I was a kid.
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