Ellen Y. Mueller Writes: 2023

photo courtesy of Antonino Visalli on Unsplash

Use Your Experience to Help Your Characters Remember

Have you ever read a story that plods along, but you can't quite relate to the main character? I'll call her Rachel. It's probably because the writer forgot the introspection, sometimes referred to as internal monologue. Rachel can't think or remember because her writer didn't flesh her out. She needs depth. Without it, she's a flat character. Three dimensional characters keep readers interested.

For example, maybe Rachel's mother died in a tragic car accident. She's at the funeral and all the usual stuff happens, but she's not feeling anything. Writer X might've included a few boring visuals at best. None of this means anything to Rachel.

What could've helped Writer X? Lists. She should've sat down with pen to paper and remembered the funerals she attended. Which one is like the one she wants to write? Doing this helps the author decide what's important in the scene. And loss is terrible for anyone, but if this particular tragedy is a main plot point, how is this worse for Rachel? What do you remember about loss? Can you write down some words that remind you of your personal tragedy?

Using this method recalls a stream of consciousness. Start with a word that reminds you of the event, and then write the next word that comes to mind. Continue until the page is full or a few minutes have passed.

Making lists helps writers decide what is important in a scene. If you must choose between the details, base them on what might affect your character’s senses. What did Rachel hear, smell, touch, see, feel, taste? Tell the reader why it mattered. If it didn't matter, don't use that detail.

MY MEMORIES OF A FUNERAL

I attended my Grandpa’s funeral when I was a ten-year-old. Here’s what I recalled.

I wore a pink summer dress with flecks of gold because it was Grandpa’s favorite though we buried him on a chilly October day. I had a thin cotton shawl, which didn't block the howling wind.

Strange women in black dresses cried and dabbed their noses with tissues.

The metal folding chair I sat on numbed my butt. A tight rubber band pulled my scalp after Mom fixed my ponytail. It made my head throb.

If you can remember one detail, the others will come. Some of memories reflected the tension I felt during the event. If Rachel was my character, I might've written similar details for her experience.

Sometimes what's not said can make the story. Consider someone who spent Christmas alone. Maybe their memories or list tells us what they didn’t do that year.

Example: Maybe the story makes no mention of Fred trimming a tree, wrapping presents, going to church, or eating a nice ham dinner.

The list can run as long as needed to make the point about how an otherwise happy holiday was lonely and sad. How did this affect Fred? What in his background made him suffer more than the average person? Why did this matter to him? Can you put his thoughts into words? If you can, he's real in the reader's mind.

Try making your own list using the stream of consciousness to recall an event. Post it below in the comments. I’d love to read it. The thoughts could be about anything. Maybe it was your wedding day. Your list might include people you invited and why you remember them. Did everyone have a good time at the reception? Did everyone behave? How did it affect you? When writing stories, it's not as much about what happened as it is about how it affected the character. How did she feel? What did she do as a result of the incident?

I promise if you use this technique you will remember things you had forgotten. Details will pop into your head. Let your characters have lists too, and you will write better stories.