There's a song, titled "Think of Me."
It's a very melancholy, reminiscent song. The lyrics bemoan a lost love and all that. I won't go too much into it here. The point I'm wanting to make is coming.
With every ill-fated relationship (or non-relationship) I've had, from crushes to a situation I'm not going to go into here on the blog, there's one thing that forever reminds me of them in the future.
Cars.
I know it sounds so dang silly. But there are certain cars, and certain colors of those specific cars, that whenever I see them I'm immediately taken back however many years.
It's all part of perception, which I talked about a while back. What do we notice first when in a new situation? What do we key into when our hearts get involved? (Because even if a crush isn't the type of love that will lead to a happy marriage and good relationship, the heart is still involved.)
For most of everything, it's the cars that serve as my biggest reminder of what was, what could have been.
Now, the question I want to ask is this.
What is the one thing that serves as this reminder for your MC? It doesn't necessarily have to be regarding relationships. What is their biggest memory trigger?
For my MC, it's voices. Really and truly. He will key into bits of a voice that remind him of something else. For example, one of his two interests in the love triangle I'm setting up has a very musical voice. It reminds him of his ex-girlfriend because it reminds him of a harp, which his ex-girlfriend played.
I think this is a great thing to think about. For me personally, I have so many memories tied to songs b/c music has always been a big part of my life. Smashing Pumpkins "1979" always makes me think of my HS crush because he was singing it on the bus one day and I was excited to find out we liked the same band. *rolls eyes*
ReplyDeleteI also have lots of memories tied to smells. Polo Sport cologne inevitably makes me think of my first serious boyfriend (so hubs is forbidden from wearing it because that would just be weird, lol).
But now you have me thinking how (and if) I use this in my characters. Hmm...
Btw, I heart soundtracks too. Les Miserables is my fave broadway one.
It's all about attitude, baby. ;)-
ReplyDeleteGreat post!!! (Psst, I LOVE soundtracks too!) :D
LOL Laura. That's awesome. I bet it leads to some interesting scenarios. Thanks for coming by!
ReplyDeleteMy main character is a Cavalier ghost, so he tends to be reminded of the past by furniture, particularly furniture in a modern setting that is from his own period. He gets quite upset when things look too familiar.
ReplyDeleteThis is such great food for thought, Stephanie. My memory trigger for that kind of thing is music - hearing a particular song brings me right back. Hmmm, for my MC... she is a writer too, and her stories are her memory triggers. Each story is written at a different point in time, during a different frame of mind, so I think her words are what brings her back. (Love Phantom, by the way. "Wishing You Were Somehow.." is my favorite!)
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome post, and definitely gives me something to think about. I normally relate my character to the certain music choices I have for her. Cut by Plumb is what I consider her signature song, I hear it and I feel my MC, I can feel her pain, her suffering, and the things she'll have to overcome.
ReplyDeleteHi, my name is Cynthia, and I love soundtracks. Uh, yeah, I DID buy the soundtrack to, er, Titanic, and er, When Harry Met Sally, and er, yeah, both times I mumbled to the clerk that it was for somebody else.
ReplyDeleteBut I will not live a lie anymore. I love soundtracks!
Ooo, memory triggers...I haven't thought a lot about this. That's great! I'll have to incorporate this into my writing more.
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