This week: Squirrel! Edited by: GeminiGem of House Lannister  
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I have always had a bad memory, as far back as I can remember.
Lewis Thomas
I have a two-story house and a bad memory, so I'm up and down those stairs all the time. That's my exercise.
Betty White |
| ASIN: 0996254145 |
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Amazon's Price: $ 12.95
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 SQUIRREL!
Memory issues can be frustrating, inconvenient, and amusing.
Wait, did I just say amusing? I suppose it depends on who you ask and when you ask them.
Considering the myriad things that can cause memory issues and the fact that just about every adult I know complains about it, why is it then, that characters usually have perfect memories? And what fun is that?
Flawed characters are more relatable. They are more believable. They are far more interesting. Having a less-than-perfect memory can also work for character development and comedy potential. We should look at why someone might have memory issues and I bet you can find one on the list that would work for just about any character. You can use is in your story itself or in the character's back story.
 Getting older (well, duh)
dehydration (most people don't drink enough water)
diet
lack of exercise
excessive use of alcohol
stress
anxiety/depression
prescription or over-the-counter medications
sleep issues
Looking at this list, I should just be a drooling puddle of mental blankness. I have hit everything on the list except excessive alcohol use and sleep issues. Oh, and I'd give the source of this information but I honestly forgot where I read it and due to time constraints, I won't be going back and re-researching it. Sorry, folks.
I'm going to share a pet peeve with you. I touched on it already: the character with the flawless memory. Why does this qualify as a pet peeve? Because I don't have a perfect memory so why should a character in a story get that privilege? Seriously, the detective that can walk into a room and have a photographic memory of every little detail about every little thing in that room is a big, "Grrrrrrrr!" for me. Do I believe that a detective may have trained him or herself to be extra observant? Sure. Do I believe they would be more likely to observe items or behaviors that or out of place? Yep. If your character's detective memory goes beyond that, I'm going to be skeptical and even downright irritated. How dare they have supersonic memory skills when I can't find the sunglasses that are perched on top of my head?
I'm not actually here to pick on the detectives. It just happen to be an example that came to mind of a type of character that often is portrayed as having a sharp memory.
Also, this is the comedy newsletter, so we want to talk about how problems with memory can be funny. Sure, you can make granny forgetful. That can even be amusing despite being done to death. My favorite is the "squirrel moment". You know what I mean, someone gets distracted and completely forgets what they are doing. It can lead to a comedy of errors: locking keys in a car, setting an object down and forgetting where, forgetting to pick someone up from somewhere, losing track of time. Can you make this funny? Yes, you can. I have full faith in you. If you could come up with a believably talented detective that can't find the sunglasses perched on his or her head, I would follow your character to the ends of the earth (if I could just find where I put my car keys). |
| |  | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#2281139 by Not Available. |
| | | INTRUDER (E)
Three girls alone. Intruder at the door. What do we do?
#2270705 by SSpark  |
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Comedy: September 21, 2022 Issue [#11570]
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