How to Remember

I’ve heard on more than one occasion that being a senior is not for the fainthearted. If you’ve survived long enough to get an AARP card, or even past that and gone on to handle the Medicare maze as I have, you know what I mean. If you haven’t, you’ll learn soon enough. It may seem far away, but you’d be surprised how fast the years fly by.

Being a senior author poses its own challenges. These days you not only need to operate writing equipment, such as a computer, printer, mouse, backup drive, and so forth, but also remember afterward how you did it so you can do it again. 

That’s not all. Along with all the ins and outs of creating a great book, you're also expected to discover and implement ways to promote that book and others you've written. You host your own website and interact on social networks, such as Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Blogger and Wordpress. While you're at it, you keep track of your unique passwords, since using only one password for everything is dangerous.

It's not easy, but it's still necessary to keep track of when and what you’re doing, on and offline, how and when to interact with special people, including friends you favor, those you can help, even those who might be beneficial to you in some way.

What about remembering names, even faces connected with those names? That's never been easy for me, but now it’s even more difficult.

Then there's the matter of book reviews. Once I’ve read a book, for the most part it’s out of my mind. I might remember I enjoyed it, but unless prompted, the details escape me. These days my mind only has room for so much, and my current read commands attention. You might ask what’s so bad about that? Well, try doing a book review about a book you read a month ago. Some of you can do that with no problem, but it’s not easy for me.

For those in my boat, I offer some tips:

·        1. Make lists and keep them in a folder on and offline. One list might be your passwords for social networks, blogs, tweets or book blurbs, even the voice mail number on your cell phone. Anything new or difficult is a great candidate for a list. That way you won't have to go backward to Step One again to figure it out, or resort to Google. Crazy me bought a new laptop with Windows 7 and Microsoft Word 2013, after years of Windows XP and Microsoft Word 2007. I bought a new smartphone a week later, so I have lots of things to figure out and remember. I'd be lost without lists.

·         2. Get a desktop calendar and use it to mark important events, such as your blogging day, a day you’re hosting someone on your blog, a retweeting day, or anything else you need to remember. I not only mark writing events on that calendar, but also personal events, such as birthdays. Often, the personal and writing events intersect, and that needs to be taken into account when making commitments. Half the battle is having that calendar in front of you. The other half is remembering to look down at it and notice what’s going on that day and in the future.

·         3. Develop habits. The more often you do something, the easier it will be, such as looking down at that calendar on the desk, or maintaining connections with special people. Visit the groups, blogs, or other spots, as often as possible, to share experiences and remember others.

·         4. About that book you want to review: Jot down a few pertinent notes either during or immediately after reading the book to keep your memory fresh.

Okay, those are my tips. Now it's your turn. What aids can you offer for the memory impaired, such as me?

Experience the diversity & versatility of Morgan Mandel. For romantic comedy: Her Handyman & Girl of My Dreams. Thriller: Forever Young: Blessing or Curse. Short Stories Sequel: the Blessing or Curse Collection. Romantic suspense: Killer Career. Mystery: Two Wrongs. Twitter:@MorganMandel Websites: Morgan Mandel.Com & Chick Lit Faves