How Many Are There In Your Memory?

By Susan Reichert, Editor-in-Chief for Southern Writers Magazine

Yesterday, driving home, a memory popped in my mind. This memory was from 64 years ago.  Instantly the idea came to me to write this memory down as soon as I got home. It would make a great scene in a book.

Immediately upon entering the house, I turned on my computer, wrote what I remembered; put it in a sleeve, then into a notebook. Later I can go back and flesh it out depending on when and where I use it.

That got me to thinking, what if I specifically started doing this with different memories. At my age, I would certainly have an abundance of memories. These, fleshed out, could become great scenes and inserted in a story.

All of us have memories popping in our heads from time to time. Childhood, teen years and adulthood, they are recessed in our minds. It’s a matter of calling them forward.

One particular memory was when I was in the second grade. After school, I went home with a friend, and her house was right next door to a house whose owner died. The yard, well kept, but the house empty of most furniture.  The drapes and sheers were there and sheets covered the furniture.

My friend’s brother coaxed us into going into the house.          

Now, I don’t know if the house was locked nor do I remember how we got in. What I do remember, is the door,  creaking open, and entering the  house.  I can tell you to a  second grader it was scary.Naturally, her brother, being all  boy, played upon our fears and talked of ghost. I remember

walking up to the third step and the sheers on the windows at the top of the stairs blowing out over the banister Terrified, my friend and I turned and hit the front door and  we didn’t stop until we got inside her house.

Just think how many different ways this one memory could be used and fleshed out to make several scenes.