The Keys of Memory

" I wear the key of memory, and can open every door in the house of my life." Amelia Barr

I like things in threes: three pots of geraniums arranged by the porch, three pictures resting on the shelf, three flowers blooming in a vase.

Memoir often draws me to this number of objects. Opening a door of life allows me to revisit objects and attach words to the memories. When listening to first paragraphs of To Kill a Mockingbird I still get chills down my spine. A teacher recited that opening in English class when I was in high school. Hearing it now I can still visulize Scout on that street with Jem and Dill and remember the strong pull of this book and its' lessons. Noting just the cover of this dated VHS movie The Way We Were stirs up sad feelings from failed romance and regret during a time in my youth. The soundtrack of A River Runs Through It draws me to rivers. The music creates vivid images of The Coeur d' Alene, the Clearwater, and the Columbia which are symbols of significant chapters in my life. These rivers also create peace and a strong sense of place in the Inland Empire.

These three keys in my house of life remind me of how strong emotions can attach themselves to simple objects. This enables me to reflect on the overlapping connections in my life and to continue to understand their meaning.

A Space for Inspiration

Writers desire a space for inspiration- that place the writer can imagine, remember, ponder, and draft. For some writers it is surrounding themselves with items of remembrance. I am drawn to a bentwood chair in front of an outdoor fireplace. Often writers find a room with a view or a window facing the morning sun. An old typewriter, an antique pen or a special pad of paper provide writing tools that inspire others. Music can also set the atmosphere. For me, this space above provides inspiration as I recount slices of everyday life and examine the common threads that connect time and place.

“Memory is an aspect of imagination. For writing, memory is one of your most important tools. But you don’t need an excellent memory to use it well. A single phrase, an image, a fragment of a story, one object from the past is enough to spark the creative, intuitive mind. Especially rich are incidents and images stored away that you aren’t sure ever actually occurred; dreams or stories someone has spoken of so many times that they’re engraved as past realities. No matter what their source may be, memories are doorways to new pieces of writing. Memory is like muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it becomes. One memory sparks another. Each time you write from memory, another fragment filed in that ninety percent of the human brain that science doesn’t understand slips into consciousness and a creative shift takes place.”

Bonni Goldberg from Room to Write