Writing
Charlotte Rains Dixon  

Those Who Tell…and Those Who Don’t

Or maybe the title of this should be Those Who Remember and Those Who Don't.

I'm talking about writing, of course, and those who remember and tell every aspect of their current story while they are working on it.  I had dinner with my screenwriting friend last night and he went back through every scene of every act of his current script which he is turning into a novel.

I'm in awe of this, because I can't remember a scene five chapters ago in my current novel.  I take my work to my critique group and they start to talk about "when Riley said this" or "Emma Jean left the motel and went to the bookstore" and I'm drawing a complete blank.  Same thing happens with my blog posts, too–someone will tell me they enjoyed my post and I'll ask, "What did I write about?"

I realize this makes me sound like a complete dim-wit, but I've heard other writers say the same thing and so I thought it worth exploring.  I've heard writers say they'll be out on book tour, signing books, and a reader will comment on a specific scene to which the writer draws a complete blank.  By this time, said writer is deep into the next book.  The last one has been released onto the world.  She's onto something new.

I console myself with these reports from other writers and also with the thought that its because I write so much and so many different things.  Its not age, which is usually a worthy scapegoat, because this has been happening for a long time.

I suspect it may also have to do with how we process information.  Years ago I had a friend who was developing a machine that tested whether you were primarily a visual, auditory, or a kinesthetic learner.  He hooked this machine up to the computer and you had to identify first photos, then sounds.  I blew the tester out of her seat with my facility for identifying the photos correctly and quickly.  I have this knack for taking in an entire computer screen in a glance, or an entire paragraph.  Doesn't work with sounds, though.  After two of them I was hopelessly confused.   I process information nearly completely visually, which is why if you tell me a phone number you have to say it very slowly and carefully.  And it is why I write everything down.  Don't necessarily have to refer back to it, just need to write it down.

And this, I suspect, is why I don't tell my stories out loud and why I tend to forget them.  I'm not a story teller, I'm a story writer.  If I tried to tell you the plot of my story I'd get as hopelessly confused as I was during the sound test.  But give me pen and paper and I'll write you a fabulous synopsis.  (This is also why email was invented just for me.  I'd be happy if I never had to talk on the phone again.)

So I admire Brian and his facility for spinning tales as I drank my wine and picked at my fried fish sandwich (strange combination, but good).   But don't ask me to try to mimic him.  And don't ask me what the subject of this post was tomorrow.

0 thoughts on “Those Who Tell…and Those Who Don’t

  1. Oza Meilleur

    Bonjour Charlotte!

    I had a sigh of relief while reading your article: so I’m not that “strange” after all. And I haven’t been experiencing a series of “senior moments,” either. Phew! What a relief. 🙂

    This is why I need to mingle with other writers — to realize all is well and my mind isn’t slipping.

    I wish I could take that test, it sure sounds interesting.

    Big hugs always,
    Mudd a.k.a. Oza
    xoxo

    P.S.: LOVE the design and colour scheme.

  2. Charlotte

    It is so nice to know I’m not the only one who does this! As for the design, purple is my favorite color and my friend put the banner together for me. Thanks for dropping by, Oza!

  3. Elizabeth Potts Weinstein

    Yes, you are not alone!

    I’m also extremely visual (visual spatial, actually). My husband (auditory-linguistic, my exact opposite) and I are both attorneys.

    He will talk about some case we allegedly read in law school (and I probably did read, since I graduated magna cum laude and all that), and I have no idea what he’s talking about. He remembers not only the case, but the judge’s names who wrote the opinions, a pithy phrase from the dissent, etc.

    Heck, I’m can’t even keep the name of the current Supreme Court justices in my head (and you could ask my hubby who was on the Court in 1932 and he could tell you, even spell their names & talk about the cases they wrote).

    However, I can apply all the legal principles & rules to a current situation, and make almost-always accurate predictions of how cases will come out (but have to look up all the names for those rules/cases). So be assured that the info is in your brain somewhere. 🙂

    ~ Elizabeth

    ~ Elizabeth

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