This has only happened to me once before.
Early this morning, I woke up from a dream and had to write it down before it slipped away. It was the makings of a great story (maybe.)
I don’t often remember my dreams and the one other time I ever started writing a story based off a dream, that dream had been like watching a cartoon. I wasn’t featured anywhere in it except maybe as an invisible spectator.
The dream I just woke up from a few hours ago wasn’t like that. In the dream, I was myself and I was given a writing prompt or exercise. I never really liked participating in prompts and exercises, but dream me went with it and started writing out a brilliant scene. Then somewhere along the way, I became aware of the fact that I was dreaming and needed to write this scene down before I forgot it. So dream me started frantically writing the scene down wherever she could find somewhere to write. (I specifically remember dream me writing dialogue on the flap of a cardboard box.) Never mind that dream me had already just written out the scene earlier in the dream. I had to write it down, had to write it down, had to write it down!
Okay! Message received, subconscious mind.
I woke up, sprung out of the bed, and grabbed my lab top. Already, I had the feeling that I was only remembering a fragment of the scene, but that was enough for me to keep writing beyond that little fragment for several pages. Automatically, my mind started filling in some of the blanks of why this scene was occurring and where things might be headed. I even wrote a dialogue for a new scene featuring a character that didn't make an appearance anywhere in the dream. I’m a long way from really knowing what’s going to happen in this story, but you know what, I think it just might make for some pretty cool reading.
What about you? Do your dreams ever become fodder for your fiction?
Yay, that's so cool when that happens! It's happened to me quite often, but I often forget the ideas. My best ideas often come just as I'm on the verge of falling asleep, then I have to wake myself up to take notes!
ReplyDeleteGirl Friday
I'm sure I've lost many a good idea that way because I tend to think to myself, "Oh, I'll remember what I was thinking about in the morning," and then naturally I don't at all.
ReplyDeleteOh Yes! The dreams I remember are often awesome plots, complete with characters, dialogue , and twists and turns as unexpected to me as to anyone else. In fact, I have too many plots than I have time for at the moment, as most of them are medium novel length. So many plots, so little time! :D
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