Questions 3: Using Amnesia in Fiction

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Here we are at the end of a really odd weekly topic.  Maybe I stretched this out for too, but I don’t remember what started it.  Funny how such a complicated medical issue can be used so casually and ‘simply’ in fiction.  Shows how we can get away with no research at some points.  Might not be the best way to go, so maybe these questions can help us use the trope better.

  1. How do you think amnesia should be used in fiction?
  2. How would you handle having amnesia?
  3. How would you handle a loved one having amnesia?
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Immortal Wars: Light, Blood, & Tears Part 26

(Disclaimer: A warning to those who continue.  This is a sequel to a previous story.  Both of these were written in the mid-1990’s.  While the first one was slightly edited and vanity press published, this one has not been touched in over 20 years.  I figure I should do something with it and people may get a laugh or fright from how I used to be.  Every author comes from somewhere, so this is part of my origin.  To that end, I am deeply sorry for whatever nightmares I will inflict on the literary world and the American English language.  Enjoy?)

PREVIOUS ENTRY CLICK HERE

As the Earth and Venus guardians land the space skimmer on one of the Twin Towers, the villains that they are going to face are awakening.  But Adriana is having a little bit of a problem getting her head together.  The massive blood lose put her out for a long time and left her giddy while her body produces new blood.

“Where are you, Tegam?  I can’t see anything.  Did you lock me in a damn closet again?” whispers Adriana from inside a body bag.  When someone finally opens it, she sits up and focuses on Tegam’s smirking face.  She groggily sits on the metal table and pulls off the little card on her bare toe.  She is handed her clothes so she can quickly get dressed and warm up.

“You seem to be having a really bad day.  First, Hydrana and now the police knock you out for a couple of hours.  This has got to be leading to some permanent brain damage.  Feeling better?” says Tegam as he helps her off the table.

“No.  At least, we brought those new clothes that can fix themselves.  No sense walking around barely dressed in this city.  Of course, I don’t think anyone would care if I did that.  This body is far too gorgeous to keep hidden under anything.  Still, remind me to thank Mindtrigger about his invention as soon as we get home.  Anything happen while I was out?”

“Draveon and Cybro were fighting the police at a zoo.  Draveon had encountered Hydrana and severely beat her up and he encountered Fate a half-hour ago.  That fight destroyed the Yellowstone Bridge.  Everyone has gone into hiding, but they should be easy to find.  In Draveon’s defense, he was attacked and only fought to survive just like you said.  I saw another space skimmer land nearby and I heard a report that two people left it in a hurry.  One had a set of wings while the other was in some sort of yellow bubble.  They will be here within a few minutes.”

“It sounds like Miracle and Infinity are coming here since the other two guardians have already landed.  Fate is definitely going after Hydrana, which takes away one of our problems.  I seriously doubt that the Mars guardian could lose to that redheaded nut-job.  Where did those cops put my weapon?”  She silently pulls a nearby door off its hinges and lets the sunlight from an alleyway warm her body.  In a nearby corner of the room are their weapons, which the police managed to pry out of their hands. The two villains are armed and on the street within seconds.

“Long time no see, prankster!” yells Miracle when she dives at him.  Adriana quickly pounces on the Venus guardian and rips the bat-like wings off.  The wings disappear in the villain’s hands, which takes the still dazed blond by a mild amount of surprise.

“I still owe you for biting my face, guardian.  This should make us even,” states the evil immortal before biting Miracle on the neck like a vampire.  Adriana gets kicked off and the two female warriors start to repeatedly punch each other in the face.  Miracle throws one punch that puts Adriana’s head through the pavement.

“My hand!” moans Miracle.

“Who cares about that stupid thing?  You broke my cute, little nose,” complains Adriana.  She knees the ebony-haired guardian in the stomach and backhands Miracle through the morgue’s wall.

“Give me a hand, Tegam!”  The jester is about to give his leader a round of applause, for the obvious joke, but a lamppost suddenly wraps around his body.  Infinity drops behind him and kicks the carrot-topped immortal into a full trashcan.

“Let the women handle it on their own.  How are you holding up, Kelly?  I mean, Miracle,” asks Infinity.

“She’s doing fine.  But you don’t have to worry, Steven.  I know all of your real names.  There’s no longer any need to be so formal when we talk.  By the way, I’m great.  Thanks for asking, gorgeous,” answers Adriana, who has the Venus guardian in a tight chokehold.  As soon as her grip slips for a moment, Miracle breaks away and spin kicks Adriana in the ribs.  The blond stumbles a little before catching the hanging leg that struck her, but the guardian flips her body in a way that sends the seducer sailing back into the morgue.

“Don’t you ever shut your mouth, psycho slut?  Your voice gets annoying very quickly,” says Miracle.  She hits Adriana on both sides of the head with wooden hammers that disappear on contact.  For a split second, the guardian stops, which allows the injured immortal a chance to grab Miracle’s legs and slam her into the floor.  She keeps a hold of the guardian’s legs and smashes her through the floor.

“Psycho slut?  I really, really hate that nickname.  Doesn’t anyone here believe that I am not a psycho?  Now, where is that Earth guardian?  I feel like ripping into someone besides you, Kelly,” mutters Adriana into the gaping hole she just made.  When she sees Infinity, he is growing patches of blue and white feathers.  She leaps out of the damaged building and sprints away before he becomes a giant, blue and white bird with a killer attitude.

“Coward.  Why are you still here, Tegam?” the bird caws.  It destroys the metal restraint on the prankster with deadly lightning bolts that come from its white eyes.  Once free, the jester vanishes from sight.

Soon his voice is heard saying, “I don’t feel like fighting for a cause that I think I am against.  Without Psylon’s morning star nearby, I’m getting my real memories and motives back.  But I’m not free of its influence yet.  It would be in all of our best interests, Infinity, if you left me alone.  Just in case you decide to follow me, this will definitely change your mind.”

The whip of matter appears for a brief second as it hits the broken building that their fight was centered around.  Slowly, the building turns dark red and grows scaled limbs.  Within minutes, it has become a terrifying, red dragon that soars into the cold, winter air.

“Miracle is in there!” shouts Infinity.

“I know.  You have about ten minutes before the thing grows a stomach and begins to digest her.  Since I created it, the dragon is capable of killing her.  And only you can save her, bird boy.  Have fun,” replies Tegam, who is still invisible.

“I seriously hate that guy,” mutters the bird as it flies after the retreating dragon at full speed.  The monster sees him following and belches a ball of fire at him.  Luckily, Infinity’s lightning blast stops the fireball and continues through the air to cut off one of the liquid-like arms.

“I can’t hit it with a full lightning bolt because I could hurt Miracle.  This is something Fate is a lot better at handling than I am.  There is one chance that I have, but it’s going to be tough.  Thank god, I love a good challenge.  Just wish Kelly’s life didn’t depend on it.  Pressure is not on my list of favorite things,” thinks Infinity while he dodges a rain of smaller fireballs.  He gets right above the dragon and cuts into its soft back with his talons.  The monster roars before trying to bite the guardian, but it barely misses his head.

“Too close.  Way too close,” mumbles Infinity.  He rapidly pecks at the dragon’s solidified skull, which causes the red scaled creature to go into a savage frenzy.  Infinity flies off with the dragon close behind him and soon he sees the twin towers looming before him.

“This idea had better work.”  Infinity changes back into a human as he comes to the space between the towers.  He harmlessly passes through them and grabs a window ledge before he falls.  The dragon follows, as planned, but it is too big to fit through.  Since it wasn’t fully formed, the creature explodes into big blotches of red liquid on the sides of the towers and Miracle is stuck to the wall.

“This is disgusting,” says Miracle when Infinity picks her up.

“Maybe so.  But at least you’re safe and not injured too badly,” the pale-eyed guardian responds.

“Not for long,” growls a low voice before a pair of muscular arms crash through the nearby wall and pulls the guardians into silent darkness.  The last thing they see, before they feel something hard and heavy hit them over their heads, is a pair of red, demonic eyes.

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Does Amnesia Give You a Second Chance at Life?

Gandalf

I’m sure this has been examined in fiction before, but I haven’t seen it done a lot in the genres I favor.  So, I’m sorry if I’m totally wrong here.  Please feel free to say so in the comments.

Amnesia being the loss of memory creates a situation where a character needs to rediscover themselves.  There’s that whole ‘find the trigger’ plot that gets used and half the time is solved by a random encounter.  It was the smell of carrot cake at 10 am that did the trick!  Seriously though, the story takes on rediscovery, but there is another door that could be opened.

Could an amnesiac character get a chance at a second life?

You see it in comics a lot actually.  A character who everyone thought was dead turns out to be alive, but lost their memory.  They forgot who they were and fell in love with a person who helped them.  Keep in mind that amnesia isn’t supposed to affect one’s sense of identity, which is why it’s tricky to write.  This does make it too complicated, which is why these characters end up returning with a new life.  Inevitably, they are jolted back to their old selves and return to whatever path they originally hand.  The second life is left behind because it no longer fits.

I wonder if this makes any sense.  It really only works if the character is removed entirely from their old life.  No family, friends, locations, or any connections to the life they no longer remember.  Otherwise, people would be there to tell them the truth and help them recover.  They can’t get a second life since the first one is laid out before them with a handful of guides.  Even in the last paragraph, you can see that the character is drawn back to their old life.  This really makes me wonder if such a path is possible.

I don’t believe it is.  People have too many identifiers these days like social security numbers, credit cards, social media, etc.  The doctors alone would try to identify them, which could include fingerprints and DNA.  So, we’re looking at a scenario that is difficult to pull off in reality.  That means suspension of disbelief is needed for it to happen in fiction.  Otherwise, readers won’t be invested and see immediately how the situation could be remedied.  Not so much the memories returned, but the character going back to what could trigger a revival.

This might be why amnesia happens so often to supporting characters.  They aren’t in the spotlight, so the audience won’t pay attention to them as much.  Disbelief is there because their amnesia and second life are nothing more than tools for the main characters.  It could even be that they get to keep their second life because their importance to the plot is over as soon as the one piece of information or an object is gained.  Still, you would think the interaction with the main characters would trigger something.  This brings up the possibility that you can’t have this type of plot without it being the central theme because all other events could be seen as memory revivers.  Now I know why I try hard to steer clear of this trope.

The more I write about this idea, the more I don’t see it as viable.  At least, not in the type of stories that I write.  Fantasy brings magic into the equation, which would be the cause or the cure.  Character lost their memories?  A telepathy spell or a psychic can fix that since it’s implied that the memories are simply inaccessible by the person.  The brain could even be repaired if the issue is deterioration from dementia.  Having easy cure-alls kills the suspense here and eliminates the chance of a second life.  The only way it would work is if the amnesiac is struck on purpose and sent away to live a new life.  This is done either to protect them or remove them from the scenario.  In this way, nobody would be trying to revive their memories.

Again, feel free to tell me how this would work.  I’d love to know.

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Teaser Tuesday: He Called Me a What?

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

Fritz Warrenberg doesn’t get a lot of attention on this blog.  Partially because he wasn’t a long-running character.  Yet, here we are with him in the spotlight.  One of his best scenes from Legends of Windemere: Prodigy of Rainbow Tower.  Enjoy!

Continue reading

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Amnesia . . . I Forgot Why I Chose This Topic

Philip J. Fry from Futurama

I forgot what prompted me to choose this topic back in June.  I believe I watched a TV show where a character had amnesia at some point.  It brought up an odd question in my mind in regards to second changes, which I’ll get into Wednesday.  After all, I’m sure we all have an opinion on this classic trope.

Do I have to explain this plot twist?  It’s been used so much that some people forget that it can happen in reality.  Some trauma causes a person to forget either all or some of their past.  There are cases where it can be reversed and other times where there’s nothing that can be done.  We’re talking brain damage here, which could be why some people may prefer amnesia to remain in fiction.  It’s a scary thought to imagine a single blow to the head could erase your memories forever.

That’s what it really is too.  Scary.  Disorienting.  Painful for those who love you and see that you’ve lost so much.  Imagine waking up and seeing your children, but not knowing who they are.  How do you handle that?  Do you believe that they are your children at any point?  Just writing about this makes my skin crawl because it’s a fate that I’ve had nightmares about.  My memory is shaky to begin with at times, but the thought of even a partial wipe makes me anxious.

Fiction typically doesn’t get it right from what I can tell.  Amnesia is played up as comedy or an obstacle for the heroes to handle in order to gain information.  It’s rare that you see a story from the perspective of the amnesiac too.  We tend to see how it effects those around them who may be handling a bigger problem.  The amnesia is simply a tool to make their path more difficult.  Inevitably, this challenge is handled either by finding another source, the memories returning, or the amnesiac left a clue before they were injured.

Quick note:  Amnesia is the loss of memory and NOT the loss of identity.  Also, there are so many types of amnesia that it’s amazing fiction only does the one real flavor.   Three of them are:

  1. Retrograde–  Lose existing, previously made memories first.  Older memories deteriorate slowly.  This happens with dementia.
  2. Anterograde–  You cannot create new memories.  This can be temporary such as having a blackout.
  3. Transient Global–  This is a tough one because it’s not understood very well.  A person with this will become confuse and agitated for several hours.  Memory loss can happen prior to the attack and it’s highly likely that the person won’t remember the episode.

As you can see, there’s nothing in there with an immediate loss of all memory.  I believe that’s possible, but rare and not how we think of it.  This is why authors are able to run wild with the idea too.  I think we become fascinated by a character who forgets their past too.  It brings in tension in regards to them regaining their memories.  Still, it gets used a lot, so experienced audience members won’t give you the same reaction.

Well, what does everyone else think of the amnesia trope?  Think I might do a Questions 3 on Friday too.

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Smorgasbord Coffee Morning – Bring a Guest – John W. Howell and author Gwen M. Plano

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#MKTG – Part 3 Facebook Ads Details

Hi, SE’ers! Jan here again with another segment on book marketing. I was all ready to move on to another social media platform when I came across …

#MKTG – Part 3 Facebook Ads Details
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The Daughter of Monster Maker Fun Needs Fuel!

Frankenstein’s Lab

This is always a fun challenge for me to do every October.  It tends to take a few weeks to set up as well because I don’t have as much free time as I used to.  So, I’m going to get some suggestions now.  This way everything will be nice and ready for the second scariest month of the year.  First is April because it’s when taxes are due and has Passover where pizza isn’t allowed.  Terrifying.

So, what is Monster Maker Fun?  It’s quite simple.

  1. In the comments, you give me 3 made up words.  Total gibberish.
  2. Then I create a post in October (Fridays this year) and turn those words into monsters.
  3. Each beastie will get a paragraph that describes their look, habits, and whatever else springs to mind.
  4. I add a link to your blog (and possibly book if you have one) on that post and give you credit for the names.

These seems fairly straightforward, right?  Here is a link to a list of previous Monster Maker posts. Hoping to have some creative fun again this year.  Thanks to everyone who wishes to join in.

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Goal Post: Accomplishments and Busted Body Parts

Last week of my son having camp.  Feels like the summer went by so quickly and he was starting only a few days ago.  School starts for me on the 30th too.  So, I think I have some emotional whiplash here.  Swear it wasn’t too long ago that I finished the school year and put my work clothes away.  Time is such a bizarre human construct.

I should start with last weekend, but my mind is a little blurry.  My son and I just hung around putting Lego sets together and playing video games.  The weather wasn’t too great, so we couldn’t out much.  We did go CD shopping for our trip next weekend.  It’s insane how hard it is to find stores with a good CD selection.  Lots of records out there, so I wonder if I went through a time warp.  Low key was good for us though.  He was still exhausted from his birthday weekend and a busy week of camp, which included several trips.  I was nursing a bad shoulder too.  Don’t worry . . . It’s just tendinitis, so I’ve got some meds and a close relationship with an ice pack.

So, the shoulder limited what I could do, especially since I didn’t get it check out until Thursday.  Still, I managed to finish Slumberlord Chronicles: Darwin & the Fate Bracelet.  I won’t get around to publishing it until some time next year, but that gives me time to find a cover artist.  Praying it doesn’t go into limbo like Do I Need to Use a Dragon? since that one needs 4-5 pictures.  Money being tight really kills me, but I hope a single cover is doable.  I’ll have enough time to financially recover from the summer too, so my hopes are high for Darwin getting his chance to shine.

Speaking of Darwin, I did enjoy writing him.  I need to go through at least once to make sure his habits are consistent.  Some got lost and forgotten such as him walking on his toes when moving and nervous.  I remembered his fabric swatch holding and bouncing in place habits.  There was a point where I started making him more confident and proactive because he needed to be.  That’s the big challenge here.  How do you work with a hero who isn’t on top of everything and is more likely to reach victory in a way that only makes sense to him?  Nearly every encounter Darwin had forced me to ignore my notes because he wasn’t that type of hero.  Extended battles like Luke Callindor and Clyde had aren’t possible with him.  Interrogations by villains backfired on them without a paragraph or two.  Darwin drove everybody with a plan up the wall to the point where nobody, including me, can tell how powerful he really is.  Kind of enjoy that fact.

All that being said, I am nervous for the little guy going forward.  I think Darwin & the Halfling Hunt is where he’s going to be a bigger challenge.  This is where he’s fully on his path instead of finding it.  On the plus side, the future books are set up more for his antics, so my outlines are more fluid and malleable.  This one had many sections where I realized I was going in an unplanned direction with a plot point and I had to find a way to get things back around.  There was one time I had to move sections around to make things work too.  Darwin is really testing my plotting side by having my small pantser side come out and play.  Can’t wait for people to give him a try and hopefully they stay for the long haul.

Sales are non-existent, including the free ones.  Just have to throw that out there.

Not much else going on here.  I’m working on the October posts from the Windemere Monster poll.  Tomorrow will have a volunteer call for this year’s MONSTER MAKER FUN!  With the book done, I’m relaxing and sticking to notebook work.  Hopefully, my shoulder will be better too.  Think I need a lazy week because the following week is the trip and then I’m back at work.  Going to be a wild year again since Covid is still running around.  Maybe I shoulder order some new masks to up my collection.  Unfortunately, really cool ones I saw might not be school friendly.  Fullmetal Alchemist symbols can be mistaken for occult stuff and One Piece has the skull and crossbones.  Even with a straw hat, I’m sure that symbol will be an issue.

I know I talk TV at this point, but I didn’t do much.  I watched ‘Rising of the Shield Hero’ and ‘Cautious Hero’ again because I was focused more on writing.  I could put those on and zone out a bit.  I’ll figure out what anime I’m tackling next week later.  Thinking of ‘Fire Force’ since I never saw season 2.  Exciting!  I expect next Saturday’s goal post to be bland.  To be fair, there is a lot going on that I can’t post about for a variety of reasons, so it isn’t like I’m really sitting on my butt.

Goals of the week?

  1. Relax!
  2. Puzzles!
  3. Get car checked for trip!
  4. Let shoulder heal!
  5. Fire Force!
  6. Pizza!
  7. Notebook work!
  8. Pack for trip!
  9. Sleep in a bit!
  10. Really should clean that bathroom.

(I liked the intro below, but I’m annoyed that this is a restrained video.  The characters aren’t all shown or moving like in the anime.)

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The Narcissist

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It is all about me
Not that I would say so
I am subtle
Regardless
Of my booming actions
The eye of the storm
Forever upon me
If it moves too far
I transform
And reclaim my throne
Loyalty is mine
To absorb and hold tight
Never to share
Be afraid of my power
For I will break you
Taking your love
And leaving you pain
Anger
And sadness
Not that I would admit it
After all
I am pure
And a victim
Of those I hurt

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