I used to moan about availability only of separate fragments in our memories, with many and sometimes large gaps in-between. We have a number of stories saved inside our heads, which we tell again and again. Time to time, some lost stories come to surface, but there is no continuous recording up there in our brains.
As a writer, I recently realized the blessing of such fragmentary memory. If we would have a capability for continuous memory, two things would happen. First, our brains would be too full at some point and nothing else would fit in there. And the second, what would be fatal for me as a reader, the books would appear quite unbelievable, because without gaps it would never be possible to fit a whole story into a book.
I realized this just before finishing my very first novel last week. It was very gratifying to realize this. Also because my book is based on a true story and I had only fragments of it available to base my novel upon. With this insight, writing of the end went faster and smoother.
And now I am enjoying editing my first book and working on my next. I will inform you on the progress as soon as any of these go into the next stage.
The plans are the following: my second child will come into this world this year, and next year my very first novel-child will see the world.
Picture: What a blessing to have pictures to fill in the memory gaps. Together with notes in diaries they can bring some wonderful discoveries about our pasts. I completely forgot about this zoo visit in May. It was a wonderful day!
