This is the second post in the Tricks of Memory series.
My earliest memory – one which I’m fairly confident is ‘true’- is of being rushed to hospital with a burst appendix when I was seven. Before that, I have no memory of the birth of my sister, nor moving house when I was three. There are the vaguest memories of infant school days: blackboard slates and chalk; coloured rods for adding up; and not being able to master the 6 times table. (Still a struggle!) But, I’m not alone in recalling very little: most adults have few memories of events they experienced before the age of seven to eight.
On average, adults report their earliest memory as occurring at around three to four years of age. This tendency to forget early events is a well-researched phenomenon, known as childhood or infantile amnesia. There are several things that can influence early recall – for example, the significance of the event (e.g. 1st time on a plane) and the emotion associated with the experience (e.g. great excitement or fear). We often recall the place, activity, and people present, but other details less so. And research suggests that our earliest memories are sometimes not purely our own, but created from a mix of family stories, old photos, things we’ve read/seen and others’ shared memories.
My latest psychological suspense novel – THE EXPERT WITNESS – delves into the mind and experiences of an expert in memory, as she tries to atone for an event in her past – an event she’s elected to forget. If you are interested in purchasing THE EXPERT WITNESS you can buy it here
Finally, for those of you who live near the Essex/Suffolk borders may already have visited Sudbury Arts Centre. I’m thrilled to say that I am now their Writer-in-Residence and will be organising a number of events for writers and readers over the coming months. Three activities planned for the autumn are:
- Writing for Wellbeing – a series of three writing workshops designed to support wellbeing.
- Sudbury’s Novel Writing Month – a chance for those of you with an idea for a novel to take up the challenge of getting your first draft on paper.
- Anglian Authors Book Fair – 23rd November 2025 sees our second book fair, for both readers and writers. Your chance to meet authors, join discussions, listen to readings and buy books from a range of genres.
For more information check out https://sudburyartscentre.com/whats-on/
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