4 Tips for Accessing Memories

Image by Carlos Alvarenga from Pixabay

When we set out to write memoir, we are asking a lot of our memories. And they are not always willing participants. How do you loosen the cogs and sweep away the cobwebs from that cosmic attic that is your memory bank to produce a story that is both accurate and rich with detail? Here are some tips.

1. Memory joggers

No, I’m not talking about tiny people who run around through your mind in coordinating jogging suits. I’m talking about aides that can help bring memories to the surface. My favorites? Photos, journals, music, people who shared the memories, and places where the memories occurred. You may be surprised how something long forgotten is once again remembered when you hear the song that exploded your senior year of high school, or when you spend a night in your childhood bedroom.

2. Keep a notebook handy

Once you present a task to your brain (i.e. “remember everything you can about the summer you turned eight”), your subconscious will get busy working on it. However, you can’t control when results will start to come in, which may be at surprising (and inconvenient) times, NOT when you’re sitting at your desk to write. So it’s a good idea to always keep a notebook (or the notes app on your phone) handy for when those memories and details come to you. They may never resurface again, so catch them while you can!

3. Just start writing

I am a big believer that the process of writing is one of discovery. The writer Joan Didion once said, “I don’t know what I think until I write about it.” Certainly writing can help us process events from our past, which is one of the primary purposes of writing memoir, but it can also help us RECALL the past. Asking your brain for information while moving your hand across the page and writing what comes to you may reveal things you thought were forgotten. So if you’re stuck, just start writing. Start writing what you DO remember, and watch as more comes to the surface.

4. Be patient, be gentle

Remember to be patient with your memory! It can’t be forced, and the more your try to force it, the more resistant it will become. If a topic is just too stuck today, move onto a new one, and come back to it later. Like I said, your subconscious will keep working on it, and the results may come when you least expect it. And if they never come, give yourself lots of grace. Be amazed at what your mind HAS been able to recall. Isn’t the human brain incredible???

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