The other night, I dreamed it was the end of the world. For a brief moment, gravity went bye-bye, so there were lots of floating cars and people. Then everything came down with an all-mighty CRASH! and a certain Mid Eastern country started bombing us.
Guess what? That was a mundane dream for me. Normally I’m being tortured or turned into a cyborg. Or I’m Spider-Girl or Superwoman. Sometimes I can teleport with a turn of the heel and the swish of a cloak. Usually, the dreams I have find me trying to save the day. Maybe I have a hero-complex (better than the darker alternative, the martyr-complex.)
Whatever the cause, dreams make good fodder for story-telling. I once had an vivid dream about an alien invasion. I plan on turning that into a book someday. I also dream titles: Mrs. Willoughby’s Regrets, for example (I even dreamed the premise that goes with it.)
So, the next time you ask a writer “Where do your ideas come from?” you’ll probably get the normal “Oh, from anywhere and everywhere” answer. This is true. But if you’re looking to become a writer yourself, why not keep a dream diary? The second you open your eyes, write down as much of the dream as you can remember. I also find it helpful to not open my eyes right away after having a dream. Just lie there and play the details through your mind again a few times.
Well, another random post for another random day. I’m off to check my email for the bazillionth time today.
Ciao, guys!
Keep your pen on the page,
Beth
Beth Overmyer 