Readers Probably Don’t Care If Your Protagonist Gets Their Memory Back
One of my least-favorite plot devices in fiction is the amnesia trope. Giving a character amnesia rarely makes for a good story, especially when the story begins with the character trying to figure out their past. Almost inevitably, the writer doesn’t give enough information or characterization to make readers care about the character’s journey. Why would anyone bother reading about a character when you haven’t told us who they are?
Readers have to care about a character before they are willing to invest their time in your story. As soon as you mention amnesia in a story, many readers’ minds will immediately jump to soap operas. It takes a great deal of work to convince readers that your story won’t be just another melodrama using a medical condition as a lazy shortcut to dramatic tension.
What exactly makes the amnesia trope so awful? A character with amnesia can be missing everything that makes stories compelling. Stories are satisfying when a character has a unique background and perspective on life, and goes through challenges that cause the character to grow and their perspective to change. Amnesia can mean readers know nothing about the character’s background or perspective. When you don’t have a character’s starting point, their growth can be difficult to see and appreciate. It’s like seeing runners crossing a finish line when you don’t know where the race began. It’s hard to appreciate their accomplishment when you don’t know if the race was a hundred-yard dash, a marathon, or just a run around the block.
Instead of starting from day one of their amnesia, it would be far better to start with scenes form their day-to-day life. Don’t show their mysterious government job or mad science project or whatever that causes them to lose their memory, but do show us the family they’re going to forget. Show us some pieces of their life that are about to go missing, so we have something that makes us feel anxious for them. What if they never remember Billy and Sue? What if they don’t get their memory back in time to feed their dog? The story still has room for plenty of suspense and drama, only now readers have a reason to care. So much better than a total blank.
Also, many amnesia trope stories have a character run into a problem and then suddenly recover a memory or discover they have an ability that instantly solves it. Oh no, I need to escape and this door is locked! But wait, I used to be a locksmith! Oh no, dozens of ninja assassins! But wait, I think I might be a martial arts expert!
In most stories, writers will reveal a character’s abilities early on, or at least foreshadow that they have some martial arts training or special knowledge that may come in handy later. Including this foreshadowing early makes the solution feel earned. However, in amnesia trope stories, readers don’t know what a character is capable of. Foreshadowing is difficult, if not impossible. As a result, solving problems with sudden recovered memories comes across as lazy writing, a deus ex machina.
In addition to character development issues, poorly-written amnesia stories can come across as disrespectful to people with disabilities. Millions of people have lived through loved ones developing Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and similar conditions. Stories that use amnesia as a cheap plot device can be hurtful to people who have experienced what memory loss is really like.
Unfortunately, many amnesia trope stories feel more like a cartoon than real life. Memory loss due to head injuries rarely returns. Also, amnesia patients are more likely to experience anterograde amnesia, trouble forming new memories. Retrograde amnesia, trouble recalling memories that are already formed, is much rarer. A character that cannot remember their career as a super spy is more likely to be suffering from a trauma-induced fugue state or being drugged than actual amnesia.
Also, lost memories do not just return like flipping on a light switch. Recovery is a long process and may never feel complete. A super spy that recovers his training may never remember meeting his wife or being there as his daughter is born. Bits and pieces of his life may be gone forever.
Whenever you write a story dealing with a medical issue or disability, it’s important to do research. If you are considering writing an amnesia story, consider interviewing people who have experienced a loved one going through memory loss, people who work at a nursing home or assisted living facility, and other medical professionals. This will help you portray memory loss accurately and sensitively. In addition to the resources below, you can research medical issues and dozens of other topics with the sites listed in my writer’s research resources page.
Even if the memory loss in your story is due to super-secret sci-fi tech or a magical curse, researching what real people experience and what their loved ones have gone through can still help your characters feel grounded and make their reactions more believable. Unless you’re writing comedy, writers should always strive for verisimilitude, even in science fiction and fantasy.
Amnesia and Memory Loss Resources for Writers:
- Amnesia – The Mayo Clinic explains amnesia symptoms and treatment.
- Memory Loss – The Cleveland Clinic explains memory loss and treatment.
- What Is Memory Loss? – The Pacific Brain Health Center explains memory loss an its causes.
- What is Amnesia and How is it Treated? – The types and causes of amnesia.
- A Writer’s Guide to Amnesia – Resources for writers covering amnesia.
