Comments on: Memory: Shape Characters & Sharpen Conflict

By: sonjatyson06

sonjatyson06 — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 19:37:03 +0000

I like to have a variety of character types as far as depth goes. Some have great depth and their reactions come from a great well of memory, others are shallow. The shallow character can be interesting to write as well. What motivates them? Power? A hatred of messy conflict? I think IRL we come in a spectrum.

By: H L Liptak

H L Liptak — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 12:57:34 +0000

Several things in your article are particularly relevant to the novel I’m writing now. Thanks a bunch for the information!

By: Jean Lamb

Jean Lamb — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 03:53:19 +0000

You need to read MEMORY by Lois McMaster Bujold–the spymaster’s memory chip has been sabotaged and it’s ugly. Besides, any book with Miles Vorkosigan is going to be interesting anyway. Having a memory chip is not always a good thing.

By: Carlene

Carlene — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 03:11:18 +0000

I found this to be very interesting. I’d never thought about it before. I have a character that saw her father kill her mother when she was five years old. She was removed from the home that night and repressed the memory. When she was an adult, it came back in bits and pieces until she remembered everything. Then, she went about trying to find evidence to send her father to jail for the murder.
I don’t have a blog, so I can’t put this on it.

By: Layla Reaves

Layla Reaves — Wed, 06 Apr 2022 01:46:00 +0000

In reply to Laurie Wood. This reminds me of an episode of Black Mirror where if I remember correctly (lol), they were trying to solve a murder by looking at people’s memories on a machine and everyone remembered an event slightly different. The color of someone’s raincoat or umbrella somebody said was lime green, but it was really yellow or something like that. It always stuck with me, how faulty memory can be.

By: Katie

Katie — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 23:24:39 +0000

Re: Can you think of movies or books that were SO AMAZING because the characters felt more real than those around you?

I think PT Anderson is the master of this. Each of pieces focuses so deeply on a flawed but trying character (or a few). I love all of the frameworks that you provide here, and the triad (the wound, the blindspot, shame) I think really captures why his movies portray such deeply felt characters.

By: Deborah Makarios

Deborah Makarios — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 22:34:00 +0000

I once got conked on the head by the arm of a rotary washing line. Or at least, that’s what my reconstruction of the incident was. In experience, I was walking toward the washing line, then on my knees with a sore head. There was nothing in between – not even a gap, nothing. I only knew I’d missed a bit because my posture had changed so dramatically.

By: Roger Nay

Roger Nay — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 18:48:45 +0000

Interesting post Kristen

By: Laurie Wood

Laurie Wood — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 18:14:03 +0000

In my current WIP my hero’s dealing with survivor’s guilt over not being able to save his dad from death in a kayaking accident. I’ve been researching a lot of what you’re talking about here and I’m bookmarking this post because it’s exactly what I need, so thank you for writing about how trauma colours memories.

By: Terri

Terri — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 17:56:26 +0000

I’m writing a novel about generational memory and the effects of PTSD on a family. This post is fabulous. Thank you!