Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Memory Eater Ideas

Today I want to share a list of ideas/plots I’ve come up with that either haven’t been done yet or are in short supply.  Some of these are incomplete.  I just wanted to throw them out there, hoping they’ll get the creative juices flowing.

If you have any ideas to add to the list, please do send them over.  The more options available, the better.


·         The memory eater is used on willing/unwilling killers, addicts, those molested, people with phobias, et cetera in an attempt to rehabilitate them.

·         A character thinks they are having a certain memory deleted, but another character (their spouse/family member/best friend) pays to have something else deleted, perhaps a habit they despise.  An example would be:  “A man went in to have his nagging wife deleted, but it turns out his wife paid the technician more money to wipe video games, beer and sports from his mind.  Now the man apparently watches The Notebook every night while eating bonbons with his wife.”

·         Someone deletes a past mistake, like accidentally hurting/killing someone, and after the wipe, they make the same mistake again.

·         A character deletes a beloved memory so they can experience it again for the first time.  Example:  A woman has her favorite movie deleted so she can watch it again for the very first time.

·         A character deletes a deceased loved one.

·         Perhaps so many people delete one memory, like a terrorist attack, that a debate arises as to whether the event actually occurred or not.

·         Along the same lines, if a handful of people delete a memory, did it ever really happen?  Think of the falling tree in a forest debate.

·         A wealthy/bored person decides to add spice to their life by creating a reality game.  Before they delete the game from their mind, they leave clues around so they will unknowingly be led on an adventure.  The person might rig the game so they believe they are a spy/prominent figure/somebody of great importance.  In the end, perhaps the character winds up back at their boring life.

·         The main character gets a sex change and has the memory deleted.

·         A character deletes one memory but something important gets deleted along with it.  Example taken from my advertisement:  “But be warned, for sometimes memories are strung together.  Like an ex-husband and children.  Or drugs and a $50,000 college education.”

·         Mistakes.  Here’s another example taken from my advertisement:  “If a licensed technician makes a mistake (only 3% error rate), the main character may forget how to walk, or how to talk, or how to go to the bathroom.”

·         Someone wants to start clean, so they wipe their entire mind.

·         A killer fails/succeeds at deleting the evidence from their mind.  They get caught or get away with it.

·         Someone tries to make someone else think that they had something deleted.  Think con-artists.

·         Anything humorous.

Regardless of which topic is chosen, I always look for a purpose.  Why did the man get his entire memory wiped?  Why did the woman delete her husband who died in the war?

And yes, the list above is for communal use.  You don’t have to ask for permission.

Good luck!

2 comments:

  1. Why post ideas for stories. Wouldn't any writer submitting to the anthology have a decent imagination?

    Curious.

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  2. Hey Frances,

    Some of these ideas are from other people. They're ideas I wouldn't have thought of if they didn't pass them along.

    This is meant to be a helpful list, especially for those running into writer's block. Brainstorming is always useful, so I want to assist my contributors in any way possible.

    C. P.

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