If You Want to Memorize Anything, Do These Three Things!

The value of a master study

I was an English major with a focus in creative writing and poetry with a specialized minor in Theater: Performance. I used what I learned in my minor to augment the performance of what I created in my major.

From right there in southwest Missouri, I emceed an open-mic poetry night for over ten years. I competed in Slam poetry for about as long. Local, regional, and national Slams alike, I threw my hat into the ring.

That said, I’ve been to staged presentations of drama and poetry for many years. I’m still amazed by the capacity of performers to retain and present so much material without a page in front of them.

You’d think I was required to take entire classes on the art of memorization. You’d think there was a codified method with a fancy name like Stanislavsky. I was not asked to take any such classes, and while there may be methods out there with fancy names, I don’t know them.

How I Do It

First things first: even after years and years, it’s still not easy. What matters is this: once you’ve done it and know it’s possible, your confidence grows. And confidence? It’s the magic that makes things easier.

This is my process, tried and true. I can’t promise it will work for you, but speaking as someone who has suffered for years from the paralysis of analysis, I can promise this: If you want to memorize something, these steps will get you closer to that.

Revise as you’d like. Adapt as you see fit. I offer it up after years of revision and adaptation that suited me. Make it suit you.

A Master Study

I used to copy famous works in Crayola. It was curious to pick out which colors to use and then to move my hand in a way similar to how the artist must have moved theirs. It’s similar when I copy poetry.

I must consider where the line ends and why. I see my own pen marks on the page and feel what it’s like to write great poetry. When I’m done, I see that in my own script. I feel the marks on the page that I made.

A couple of years ago, I decided I wanted to memorize The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock, by T.S. Eliot. I’d done a lot of my own poetry, and maybe there was a piece or two almost as long. Prufrock, though? Was by someone else, written in a different age, and longer.

With a single line between stanzas, it was over six pages on a legal pad.

Out Loud

If I race through it, I can probably recite it in five minutes. Maybe six. If I take my time with it, though? If I savor the music of the words? If I inflect and embody the speaker in the poem? It’s easily eight or nine minutes.

I adapted my method with the work because it is longer. I broke it up into pages. Then sections. Once I had stanzas in my head, I practiced them while I drove. In the shower. When I walked. In the morning, doing push-ups.

I like to think I develop a muscle memory with my tongue. To this day, I have entire raps in my head. Those might be a little easier for me because they’re set to music.

After I’ve said it out loud 30 times? My mouth knows which words come next.

Put It On Repeat

With Prufrock I was fortunate. Such a well known poem has a host of recitations available. I found a version I liked, and I listened.

I could speak along with the voice. I could press pause and predict the next stanza. I could repeat the words. Most importantly, I listened.

Precision was really important to me because it is such a well known piece. The difference between upon and along, the repetition of certain phrases, and the order of things all proved to trip me up during the process.

I practiced, though, and eventually it was all there.

You’ve Only Just Begun

Like when you learn another language, if you don’t use it, you lose it. I practice Prufrock nearly every day and will for some time to come. I want to keep it fresh, and I continue to learn from it. I wrote about reinforcing through repetition here:

I think it’s wonderful to have large swaths of literature in my gray matter, ready to perform at the drop of a hat. Though he never really told us how to do it or gave any tips, I still remember my mentor, Michael Burns, in contemporary poetry class.

“We’ll be memorizing a poem this semester. How many of y’all got poetry memorized? What? Y’all don’t do that anymore? Y’all don’t get drunk at parties and start reciting poetry???”

A few weeks later, I stood with Michael outside a faculty member’s house. There had been a recital on campus and we were there for the after party. He’d had a few to drink and was out there with a cigarette. I asked him about that Yeats poem.

And he recited Wild Swans at Coole for me. Right there. At the drop of a hat.

Practical Application

I’ve had a couple of jobs as a salesman where there was a pitch they wanted us to recite. Word for word. To sell something was a struggle for me, especially when my heart wasn’t in it. But to memorize something? That was easy.

Maybe it’s a speech at your best friend’s wedding. Maybe it’s a eulogy. Maybe it’s a poem that your parents used to have on their wall. How great would that feel, to be able to recite it for them at their anniversary party?

It’s not something often done anymore, but it has real value. Even beyond as a party trick. You’ll be surprised by what you can do!

To Sum Up

Step One: Write it down. Copy it by hand. Step Two: Repeat it. Set aside enough time to read it out loud, thirty times. Step Three: Listen to it. Find a recording, or, better yet, record yourself.

With Step Two, I’ve found it a best practice to set aside two or three hours. I’m by myself, I read my own handwriting, and I read it out loud. I don’t have as much luck when I space out the repetition. Back to back, over and over, for extended periods is my preferred method of practice.

With the recording I choose to practice with, I make sure it is one I resonate with. For example, if it is too performative or showy, I opt out. I prefer representations that let me focus on the words and the way they fit together. That’s what works for me.

All of these are important, but you may find more value in one or two of them than the other. As I said, adapt it to fit you.

In truth, MW Mercer

I really appreciate you devoting a little of your time today to read my work! I’m investing this time and energy from my life in order to transition away from selling my time away doing other things.

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