I am so bad with names and faces, if my husband cut his hair and changed into shorts and a hoodie, I would not recognize him. I try to remember the colors the kids are wearing just in case we get separated.
People will stop and chat with me. When we part, a family member will ask who and I have to admit I do not know. I probably met the slightly familiar person in one of the classes I teach, I might have read tarot cards or even married the person I just chatted with.
I am participating in National Novel Editing Month and chose a novel I wrote a few years ago as a participant in National Novel Writing Month. I had not opened the file for more than two years and have spent the last week wondering what I was thinking when I first set fingers to keyboard.
I created a character who cannot remember faces. This disorder is called prosopagnosia. If this affliction came in shades of grey, I’d probably be at the lighter end of the spectrum and my character would lean toward the darker shades. To cope, she has a sort of code with her roommate, a ritual they reenact each day after work so Edna knows she has not encountered a burglar. At work, her friends mention their names coming and going and coming back again. In stores, she pretty much does what I do. She fakes it.
During today’s editing session I looked up Edna’s symptoms and discovered she has an actual disorder. I was comforted to know that many coping mechanisms the character uses are mentioned on more than one website.
Finding a name for Edna’s challenge has created equal measures of validation and responsibility. That it exists and is documented is good but it brings with it a real obligation to get it right.
If you or someone you know is living and coping with prosopagnosia, please leave a comment and I will keep your experiences in mind as I edit this very rough draft.
For more information about prosopagnosia, go to http://prosopagnosia.com.
Thanks for dropping by and visit often.