A good book always sticks in the mind.
However, even fond memories aren’t immune to the tendrils of time. Let enough years and decades slip by, and you’ll be left with a handful of scenes and moments that stood out while the rest falls into the fog.
Luckily, books are simple things to reacquaint ourselves with, but they also require a bit more “work” to relive the story, unlike, say, flicking on a movie.
But there’s a tip I’ve used over the years to really engrave evocative, poignant chapters into my mind that help to stave off the resolution-weakening ways of time.
There’s nothing sexy about it, but it’s got teeth.
Basically, after every chapter (or major scene), pause for a few minutes, close your eyes, and visualise it like a movie in your head.
Replay the emotions, the setting, the tension — everything that stood out on the page to you.
If it was the dialogue, imagine it in the characters’ voices. If it was an epic battle, envision the clashing of swords. If it was a moment of loss, put yourself in the shoes of the character. Again, this is nothing groundbreaking or original — but it works.
Another useful “trick” is artwork and world maps.
Not only are they easier to consume (and don’t require any of this mental movie directing), but they sometimes do a better job than whatever visual play my mind can conjure.
It’s one of the main reasons I spent an entire month perfecting Digital World Art of The Divided Region.
I wanted readers to have a single resource they can access on any device to visualise the cities and locations where so many “moments” in the series occur. Whether it’s Vaxdal after the horror in Chapter 2 of Exiled… or the start location of Darius’ deadly pilgrimage (Silver Spring) in Chapter 14 of Forbidden Forest… or the last wizard sanctuary in all of Estos (Kladstin) in Chapter 16 of Last Alliance.
In any case, it can help you remember the events in The Divided Region long after you’ve read it.
And while I’ve found great success in visualising the scenes, I’ll always be a sucker for artwork.
If you’re a bit like me on that front, then you might want to make some virtual space for the Digital World Art of The Divided Region:
https://djjwatsonstore.com/products/WorldArt
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