The Character with Amnesia!

[Burst]

Okay, so I'm thinking of writing my next novel in first person, but my main character is suffering from amnesia so I was wondering how I would go about doing that? It seems a bit tricky and I've been trying to think of ways to do it, but I always fail. So can you guys give me any tips?

 

[Chilari]

Research amnesia. The kind of amnesia you read a lot about in fantasy is actually really rare (which is why, when it happens, you often hear about it in the news or in documentaries); more common is forgetting a period of time - anything from a few hours to several weeks - due to injury, stress, shock and so on. And not just the hard facts side of things, but testimonials of people who have experienced it too.

In fact, before you research amnesia, consider why your story needs it, or indeed if it needs it. If you can still tell the story without it, cut it. Why? Because amnesia is used an awful lot by writers who haven't researched it. I've read more than a few story-starts in the Showcase here and on other sites involving amnesiacs (and have written one or two myself, mostly in my younger years but more recently as an Oblivion fanfic, because frankly it calls for it; how else would you explain the player character inexplicably being locked up? Patrick Stewart never bothers to tell you) but only ever one amnesiac story that's published, and I've never heard that series mentioned by anyone but my sister (who bought the books for one of my birthdays) so I can't imagine it made it into the big time. So decide whether you want to keep this element and whether the story itself works.

As for the actual writing of it, your research should help with that. And then just reat it like any other first person writing, just without memories of the amnesed period (that's totally a cromulent word) bearing in mind how your character will be feeling about the loss of memory, about meeting friends and family for the "first" time, about trying to remember, and anything else you get from testimonials.

 

[Addison]

An amnesiac character is tricky if it's your protag and in first person. For my WIP I considered my hero to have amnesia but it just didn't fit with my story. But I did do extensive research. Some forms of amnesia are very temporary. One day, one week, one month, and they clear up by themselves. Most amnesias take longer and/or need triggers to recover. The recovery could take a while, like a line of dominos and the triggers could be something small. How someone brushes the hair from their face, the smell of coffee, a nervous habit etc. (50 First Dates is a great example of an amnesiac character) But here's something I've found interesting. While a person could forget their name, family, address and their personal life they retain their critical thinking skills. How to read, write, do math and anything they learned in school. Reflexes and physical talents from self defense to burping a baby are still remmebered by the body itself. Like the blow to the head got rid of the icons and gigabytes but forgot to wipe the hard drive.

As for writing an amnesiac character in the first person...first thing would be where on the head it hurts or something like that. The first part could be like a baby first learning to walk and then the character goes to the nearest sign of life. He or she is asked his name, if there's anyone the person can call, and that has character and reader realize amnesia. But with this you really want to be careful about not letting something slip.

Actually there's a fantasy book where the hero has amnesia! I completely forgot! The Books of Umber, the hero is a twelve year old boy named, as in given the name by a mysterious person, Happenstance. The author does a terrific job with Happenstance.

 

[Feo Takahari]

This is intended for game designers, but it makes some relevant points about what amnesia does to a story's structure.

 

[ShortHair]

When I come across amnesia in a story, my first suspicion is that the writer is covering up something. The only instance I can remember of enjoying such a story is Lord Valentine's Castle (Robert Silverberg), in which ... oops, don't want to spoil it. It's worth a read.

Anyway, my advice would be to make sure there's an ironclad reason for the character to have amnesia, not just from an accidental bump on the head. Suspension of disbelief will only take you so far.

 

[Zero Angel]

I'm not sure about involving amnesia. Are there better ways to conceal the past? Is there a point of doing it other than concealing the past from your character and reader? Could you, possibly, just have your character not know what you don't want him or her to know?

I have a character, a demigod actually, that chooses not to remember most of his past (as it is very painful for him and there's just too much past to remember). But occasionally he has some pretty dark spells (I mean spell as in a "short period", not as a reference to magick) where his memories haunt him.

And I say "choose", but he personally does not have much control over it until later in the series.

 

[Zero Angel]

This is intended for game designers, but it makes some relevant points about what amnesia does to a story's structure.

Ahhh, it's to avoid a boring backstory.

My advice: make the backstory/act 1 stuff more interesting.

In Way of the Kings Sanderson jumps back and forth telling the Act I information for Kaladin (who I consider to be the main character). He does this, I imagine, to avoid the boring developmental stuff until you already have an emotional investment in the character. Still, I found the backstory stuff (up until the very last couple which were freaking awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) to be interesting but not exciting. I found myself tearing through them as fast as I could read them without trying to enjoy them, but their very non-exciting properties prevented me from doing more than a forced trudge.

I liken my reading of those as trying to scarf up some lettuce (or something unappetizing to you) instead of slowly biting into some delectable steak and savoring each morsel.

...of course, by the end of that book I felt like I was scarfing up steak! And then I went back, regurgitated and scarfed it up again! ...OK, the metaphor has officially failed now -_-

 

[Burst]

I was actually thinking of him getting hit by a car and getting amnesia >_> but now that I think about it... I don't really know if my character needs to have it... Thanks guys.

 

[SeverinR]

The cliche amnesia happens so often in story, but so rarely in real life.

The most common is the time around the incident/injury is blocked out or forgotten. Total history loss is very rare.

 

[Anders Ämting]

Okay, so I'm thinking of writing my next novel in first person, but my main character is suffering from amnesia so I was wondering how I would go about doing that? It seems a bit tricky and I've been trying to think of ways to do it, but I always fail. So can you guys give me any tips?

Read Nine Princes in Amber. It's pretty much what you just described.

Also, everyone should read the Amber books on general principle.

 

[Burst]

Read Nine Princes in Amber. It's pretty much what you just described.

Also, everyone should read the Amber books on general principle.

Hm might have to read that... Thanks.

 

[Steerpike]

Seconded, on the Amber books. Also, Zelazny's Lord of Light is very good.