Erase Me
Brandon William Lawson is an 18 years old accounting student who goes to a community college in the Bay Area. He also writes. His short story is called Erase Me. It's about a man has his affair wiped from his wife’s memory, but when his mistress ends up murdered, he begins to wonder what does his wife really remember. We have conducted an interview with Brandon.
Where did you get the idea behind the story?
Well, I couldn't really think of an idea for a sci fi story, since I wanted to do one, so I looked up ideas for sci fi short stories. I found one about a guy who had his memory erased of his affair, so his psychic wife couldn't read his mind. The idea of erasing the memory to hide an affair from the spouse was a fantastic idea. I didn't like exactly the psychic aspect of it, so I changed it around a little bit.
Was there any influences that caused you to write the story how you did?
Yes, the movie called The Man Who Wasn't There (2001), by the Coen brothers was a heavy influence. It was about a man who used his wife's affair as an opportunity for blackmail, but it gets out of hand. I didn't think about it before I wrote the story, but as I wrote the story, I started thinking about the movie, so I based it on that a little bit. In other words, I wanted my story to have that feel; I wasn't coping it, I was just trying to get the a similar theme.
What's the strongest aspect of the story?
For me, I believe the psychological aspect. I understand it's still a sci fi story, but the aspect of the story that focuses on the mental and emotional state of the characters is the important part of the story. How the story, presents the mind of the characters really brings out the theme of the story.
If someone was looking for a good read, why would they choose your story to read?
I think because it combines science fiction with psychology to give a thriller that's fictional, but it makes them wonder what if they were in that situation. Also the ending is very complex and stunning, so it will stay in the reader's mind, I believe.
Why did you make the characters the way they are?
Because they resemble the outer theme of the story, which also conveys real life aspects. By making the characters be symbols of fear, lust, envy, etc, it shines more light to theme. Also as I mention it gives light to what people in real life are facing. So even though its a sci fi story, aside from that aspect, these are problems that people in real life face. There is realism to this story.
