Dont Start That Again Jungle Book
Tin can you imagine if that happened for much of your entire past? And equally an author, you'd pretty apace realize that without being to insert "backstory," you've got your piece of work cut out for y'all. And who meliorate to talk about that today than the amazing Hannah Mary McKinnon! (And spoiler alert--the volume she was and so worried most is at present in its 2nd calendar week on the Canadian bestseller listing!) 
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Then, see this picture? I have NO memory of it beingness taken. I am told this was in Dallas, at Bouchercon. With bestseller writer Kimberley Belle on the right, and rockstar librarian Jen Jumba in the front, and me. And now I know the quaternary person is Hannah Mary McKinnon! But truly, this moment is a blank infinite in my brain.
Don't you lot forget about me –
the challenge of writing an amnesiac character I've always been optimistic, including when I embarked on my writing career. Oh, become on, we'll phone call it naïve.
By Hannah Mary McKinnon
For example, when I embarked on penning my debut Time After Time, I had no clue how the market worked, how long it might take to become an agent or a book deal, let lone what was involved afterward publication. It was a elementary approach: I dreamed of being published, and when inspiration struck, I went for it, deciding I'd handle whatever came my style whenever it arrived. Thankfully, after much trial and error, things worked out, and here I am a few years later with my 5th novel, psychological suspense You Will Think Me, which published on May 25!. When I finished my quaternary book, Sis Dear (May 2020), I was positively jubilant. Information technology took a mere four and a half months to write. Unmarried signal-of-view graphic symbol, linear timeline, and a solid plot—the words seemed to flow not quite effortlessly, only hands enough despite going through the usual honey-hate relationship with the manuscript. Once I'd sent my editor her first draft (my millionth laissez passer), I felt confident the story was in a good place to start our editorial collaboration. "I've croaky it," I idea. "After iv books I finally know what I'm doing. I'chiliad in control." (Enter stage left: antagonist, aka, Yous Will Remember Me, who slaps the author effectually the confront while cackling, "Muahahahaaaa!") As with Sister Dear, I'd plotted You lot Will Call back Me extensively earlier I'd written a single word. I'd developed my characters past interviewing them with the help of a handy three-page questionnaire. I'd figured out the larger plot-points à la Salve the Cat by Blake Snyder and Plotstormers by world wide web.WritersHQ.co.uk, and had cleaved down these stepping-stones into thirty bullet-pointed chapters. I'd fifty-fifty put together a photo gallery of my cast. I was prepare! Let me revise that—it wasn't hard, information technology was writing hell. I hadn't thought enough about telling a grapheme'south journey without him knowing annihilation about the backstory I'd developed (endeavor keeping secrets from your characters, they don't like it). I couldn't give him whatever memories, couldn't allow him a flashback, and virtually certainly didn't want scene after scene of other characters maxim, "Allow me tell yous all about you lot." How utterly deadening that would be! So, how to solve the conundrum? In A Night, Dark Forest, Ruth Ware'southward spectacular debut, the story of her amnesiac protagonist, Nora Shaw, is told via a not-linear timeline with capacity from by and nowadays interwoven—it's brilliantly written, but that set-up didn't fit my story. Southward.J. Watson used diary entries in his huge striking Before I Go to Slumber, just I couldn't copy/paste that idea. I didn't want my protagonist to accept a Hollywoodesque scene where his entire memory came rushing dorsum—information technology felt altogether too convenient—nor did I want him to remember everything about his by anyway. I needed him to stay confused and muddled for the entire duration of the story, so, what to do…? One time I'd figured this out, writing the darn thing was notwithstanding a challenge. I'd been stuck for a few weeks, which had unsettled me. My optimism waned. That control I felt with Sister Dear? Gone.
You Will Remember Me opens with a man who wakes upward on a beach and has no thought who he is or how he got there. He remembers nothing. Zip. Zero. Nada. Researching the blazon of amnesia he suffered from had been uncomplicated, and every bit I'd plotted I'd quickly narrowed it down to retrograde, the kind where an private can't remember anything before a certain indicate in time. So far, so good. Confident I knew where I was heading and the experience would be as painless equally information technology had been for Sister Dear, I wrote, simply to hit a big, fatty, brick wall when I realized I'd completely underestimated how difficult writing a betoken-of-view character with amnesia would be.
I realized I had to divulge his history—or at least enough of information technology for his storyline in the present to make sense to the reader—through the two other point-of-view characters, Lily and Maya. Although the word count in the novel is split up almost as between the three characters, it was Lily and Maya's job to comport my amnesiac protagonist'due south past all the while driving their ain story forward. This presented an interesting challenge, only also immune me to delve deeper into their minds—and evidence Mr. Amnesiac'due south history from ii dissimilar perspectives, but not his own. Have them reveal clues both to him and the reader, non too much and not too soon, but gradually throughout the volume.
Some have asked if I'll e'er write some other amnesiac point-of-view characte How well-nigh yous? Got a writing experience you lot never desire to echo or something for which you'd like a practice-over? Tell usa in the comments! Other books with amnesiac characters you should check out: The Life Lucy Knew by Karma K. Chocolate-brown What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty HANK: This is such a twisty great book! And I cannot imagine writing most amnesia--there would have to be then many rules. Hallie, didn't you write an amnesia book? Have any of y'all ever known anyone who had it? And hither's a question for you--what'south the very FIRST thing you recall?
When I sent You Will Remember Me to my editor, I knew the manuscript had bug. The plot felt somewhat convoluted, I wasn't comfortable with how I'd handled the use of opioids in the story despite fellow writer A.F. Brady's incredible input, and I didn't call up I'd nailed who my characters really were. Turns out not giving someone a history on the page makes them a picayune estranged from the author, and it took me a while to work things through. Thankfully, my editor pinpointed what needed to be done and with her expertise we took a lot of the story back to the studs and rebuilt it, making information technology a hundred times stronger.
(And look at that first photo again. I must have taken my heels off.) 
And don't forget--join Hannah and me on First Affiliate Fun on Facebook and Instagram! Every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:30 PM ET, we'll read you the first chapter of a wonderful new book! Today, Kate White's THE FIANCEE. Thursday, Aggie Blum Thompson's I DON'T FORGIVE YOU! It'due south https://www.facebook.com/groups/firstchapterfun on FB and @FirstChapterFun on Insta!
Hannah Mary McKinnon was built-in in the United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland, grew up in Switzerland and now lives in Canada. After a successful career in recruitment, she quit the corporate world in favor of writing. She lives with her husband and three sons. You Will Remember Me is her fifth novel. Connect on Facebook and Instagram @HannahMaryMcKinnon, and on Twitter, @HannahMMcKinnon, and visit www.hannahmarymckinnon.com
Source: https://www.jungleredwriters.com/2021/06/dont-you-forget-about.html
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