A, E, I, O, U, and Sometimes Y

[queenoftheskies]

A, E, I, O, U, and Sometimes Y.

(Chanted in a sing-song monotone.)

Which, of course, means nothing at all to you unless you like old Disney cartoons and ever watched Darkwing Duck.

My sister and I were comparing notes today via e-mail on remembering things for our stories/novels when we were away from paper/computer/recording device/any way to make notes.

For me, it was in the bath this morning.

I'd been trying to decide on the perfect name for an Ancient alien race and three members of that race that survived to kidnap one of my main characters after she arrived on Earth.

Well, of course (OF COURSE), the absolutely PERFECT name for the race and all three characters hit me in the middle of a bath intended to soak my poor, aching back. Now, when you have a poor, aching back, it's difficult to hop out of the tub like a lightning blast and get out of the bathroom to your computer in record time.

So, I began the writerly chant of the perfect names over and over and over...until I got to my computer and could put them down on my cast of characters list.

I was telling my sister about it later in e-mail and she told me she did the same thing.

So, I wondered what other people do...

How do you remember things when you have no way to write them down or record them? Or, do you, unlike me, have one of those marvelous brains that retains EVERYTHING?

Comments

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

I keep writing implements and paper all over the house, but if I'm in the shower or some other paper-unfriendly location, I do repeat them aloud to myself until I get to the paper.

I also do this if I go up and down the stairs more than twice forgetting my original errand. I will start repeating aloud, "towels from washer, towels from washer, towels from washer."

[msisolak.livejournal.com]

I do the chants version, too. Works well for spontaneous trips to the grocery store where I keep adding to the list as I drive.

And then I continue chanting throughout the store. I must acquire the items in order or the chant changes and I will not remember every item.

When there's trouble you call DW

[dragovianknight.livejournal.com]

I got nothin' to add, I'm just here to use my Darkwing Duck icon.

[serenity-space.livejournal.com]

I too repeat it over and over in my head. What I hate is before I can get to the paper to write it down, someone needs something and an hour later I've forgotten what I was trying to remember. Sometimes it comes back, most times it's gone forever.

I'm like you........

[dracschick.livejournal.com]

I do the chant as well until I can get to a place where I can write things down. But then, yeah, I do write everything down eventually.

[frigg.livejournal.com]

My brain usually remembers writing stuff, plot, names etc. so I don't write these down. It tends to forget little things, though, such as "did I make that cup of tea?", "did I drink it?", basically the things I'm not really concentrating on. To remember a long list of things I make up short stories. For example: flour, chicken, tea, tomatoes...There's a corn field, a chicken comes to eat a grain, then it drinks a cup of tea from a teacup shaped like a tomato. :)

PS. I get a LOT of inspiration in the bathtub or under the shower :)

[ckocher.livejournal.com]

I used to have a decent memory but it's been going lately. Must be a sign of impending old age. I keep saying that I'm going to find a little recorder to use for the idea that comes my way. And my idea generating time seems to be when I'm using the bathroom too - shower, bath, other. It couldn't happen at a better time, like when I'm in front of the computer or have writing tools handy.

[beachalatte.livejournal.com]

i can only remember 2 things with writing things at a time
i say them over and over
ice berg
ice berg
tiger
tiger :)

[lanyn.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I have to do the repeat chant, or some sort of word association, but if I get distracted before I reach paper, it's hit and miss whether I'll remember it again later.

get yourself a diving notepad

[melinda-goodin.livejournal.com]

seriously! Any scuba diving shop should have them, and you can probably order them over the internet. They're specially treated so you can write on them underwater with an ordinary lead pencil.

[vincam.livejournal.com]

How do you remember things when you have no way to write them down or record them?

Usually I don't. But sometimes the chant thing works. I've been known to leave the shower just to write something down. It depends on how important/brilliant it is. Since I carry a PDA and a notepad with me wherever I go, I lose little.