I love sleeping. Who doesn’t? But I love sleeping not just for the blessed rest I get after a stressful long day but also because I love dreaming. Since I was little, I’ve had vivid, beautiful, action-packed dreams. Ok, maybe not always beautiful, but nearly always interesting.
Some writers claim that they got their story ideas in a dream. Stephanie Myer, for example, is one them. I always wish that this was true for me but could never say that it was. A couple of nights ago, however, I had a dream where I was (literally) writing not one, but two different novels. I heard myself speaking the words to the first paragraphs of both novels, while actually seeing the scenes play out as in a movie. I have to say, it was pretty cool. When I woke up, I remembered the general gist of what I was writing, though unfortunately, not the exact words. I grabbed a sticky note and wrote down what I could remember. It cracked me up that one of the details I remembered was that the heroine of the second novel was dressed in a “bitching suit”. Yes, honestly, I actually heard that description in the dream!
Now whether these stories will develop into something, I’ll have to see. But I hope I get more dreams like this in the future. Since dreams are often the sparks of both what we think about in our waking state or of our unconscious – and often the combination of both – we can learn about ourselves through them. Dreams also bestow on us a different way of looking at something, an unexpected and fun perspective. It’s not surprising that the answers to many questions, and sometimes even work-related solutions to problems, come during the night. So why not have fun with dreaming and see what comes of it. There are even techniques designed to help one have more consious dreams, called lucid dreaming. Perhaps it would be interesitng to try. If I do, I'll post on the experience.
Keep a notebook by your bed so you can jot down any idea that seems interesting as soon as you wake up – you remember your dreams most vividly in those first few minutes after waking. You never know…
Have you ever had ideas for your writing following a dream? Did it ever develop into something more?
