Dreams that trigger writing

topic posted Mon, June 2, 2008 - 11:31 AM by  Stacie
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Anybody else do this? I get a lot of ideas and inspiration from my dreams. I had a dream last night that was very pleasant, and when I woke up I figured out a way around a blocked bit of writing. My dream got me out of the painted-in corner

Yay!

Funny enough, the dream itself only peripherally had to do with my project, but when I awoke I knew just how to fix it.
posted by:
Stacie
Nevada
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  • Re: Dreams that trigger writing

    Mon, June 2, 2008 - 12:06 PM
    Ah the subconscious at work... Isn't it a marvelous thing?
    I have several ideas that came directly from dreams. My first novel length book came from a dream. Now that I am working on another novel, I seem to dream about it all the time. Luckily I remember most long enough to get the gist down on paper before they disappear. I also had a weird Sci-Fi dream a few weeks ago. I wrote down the basic idea and plan on expanding on it either as a short story or novel length work. The funny thing is that I have never really been a Sci-fi girl but this story is 100% that.
    Congrats on getting yourself out of that writing block corner!
  • Re: Dreams that trigger writing

    Tue, June 3, 2008 - 9:46 AM
    Yay on beating the block!

    I don't think I ever had a dream that translated directly into a story. But I've dreamt about my characters (in a setting wildly different from that of the story), and I inserted a bit of dream imagery from decades ago into a recent draft. Years ago I wrote down a snippet of melody that I heard in a dream.

    I often get story images and dialogue when I'm in bed and half asleep, not really dreaming but not wholly conscious, either. Then I have to force myself up and over to my computer to pound out notes. The story arc for a complete novel (now drafted) came to me that way in one thoroughly insomniac night.
    • Re: Dreams that trigger writing

      Tue, June 3, 2008 - 9:57 AM
      I have to be careful. For some reason I am most creative late at night, after 11pm. I find myself staying up all hours of the night typing away. Then I have to get up for work. (groan). A few months ago I messed up my sleep cycle and couldn't sleep at night only during the day. Now I have to set an alarm to go TO bed rather than to get up.
      • Re: Dreams that trigger writing

        Tue, June 3, 2008 - 10:17 AM
        LOL, yeah. That pesky day job gets in the way of my writing all the time.

        I do my best work from ~9 pm to 1 AM. Unfortunately, if I don't go to bed by at least 10:30, I'm DRAGGING at work the next day!
        • Re: Dreams that trigger writing

          Tue, June 3, 2008 - 12:05 PM
          Me too! That whole staying up until 2 or 3 AM night after night was not good for me. Now I try to work during my lunch hour and as soon as possible in the evenings without ignoring my family.

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