How reliable is your memory when recounting times long gone? Have you tested it out lately? Memoir writers face this question all the time and if there is nobody around anymore to verify your view of things, then there’s every chance your recollection is incorrect.
I had the opportunity to do a bit of fact checking recently after getting together with my former cabaret partner, pianist Elizabeth Drake, to rehearse for the Sydney Sedition Festival. Elizabeth and I first played together in 1979 performing the musical I wrote called Failing In Love Again, first at the Pram Factory in Melbourne (the full blown musical with a band and five singers) then touring the cabaret show to festivals and venues in Adelaide, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane.
When we started comparing notes about who we met, when and where, we could have easily been telling different stories. Bringing a third person in to clear things up is a good idea, but you might have noticed that often family members have totally different recollections of the same event. So why is it that people experiencing the same event can have such vastly different memories? Apprently it’s all tied up with emotion. It seems we remember emotionally charged scenes more clearly than mundane or boring moments. And it stands to reason that different emotional filters produce different levels of accuracy. Read more here. What’s even more interesting is that the process of memory making is very similar to the process of creativity. More here. And if you are having trouble remembering anything at all, there’s a brilliant book that can help you : The Memory Code by Lynne Kelly. It is a truly fascinating read.
“Using traditional Aboriginal Australian songlines as the key, Lynne Kelly has identified the powerful memory technique used by indigenous people around the world. She has discovered that this ancient memory technique is the secret behind the great stone monuments like Stonehenge, which have for so long puzzled archaeologists.”
My theory about how we remember highly charged moments more clearly, is that at times of heightened emotion, all the senses are open. When memory is strong, you can recall the smells, tastes, sounds and colours of the exact moment as if it all happened in slow motion. In fact I’ve noticed when I’m taking people through guided meditations on any of the senses, memories that may have lain buried forever, can turn up on the page. All the more reason to remind yourself when you are writing the past, to go in via the senses. Transforming vivid memories into vivid writing will have people asking, “oh my goodness, did it really happen that way?” And if there are enough people telling you it didn’t, you can always call it fiction!
Happy writing!
Want to join us on a Writer’s Journey residency or retreat? Here’s what’s coming up.
Oct 6-12, 2019 – Haiku Walking in Japan, a pilgrimage along the ancient Kumano Kodo trail.
Oct 28- Nov 3, 2019 — Bali Writer’s Residency.Total focus on your writing project with in house mentoring and peer feedback. Still room to join, but be quick!
March 1-15, 2020 – Moroccan Caravan A creative adventure into the heart of Moroccan culture. Tangier, Chefchaouen, Fes, Tissardmine. Fully booked!
March 17 – 30, 2020 — Moroccan Residency. Fes, Moulay Idriss, Tissardmine. A week with Jan followed by your own residency in the Moroccan desert. Still room!
May 23 – 30, 2020 — Sensing Italy. A total immersion for artists and writers in Italian village life in the La Marche region, near Florence. Places available!
