Writing into a Dream

I have a confession to make. I don’t always remember my dreams. Do you?

When you do dream, are there characters that come up often? Are there details that stand out?

Object Dreams:

Let’s start here first. When I say objects, I’m thinking of that small, velveteen box left out on an end table—that you’re not supposed to touch. (I always wake up before I find out what’s inside! I do wonder, though!)

Action Dreams:

Do you ever dream you’re falling from a high tower or even a slide or from the highest part of the swing? Does a concrete curb deepen and lengthen, and before you know it, you’re slipping down into the under workings of the street. Maybe that’s what Suzanne Collins did when she wrote Gregor the Overlander!

I never experience a hard landing when I dream these dreams. Thank goodness! But dreams like those are my blockbuster, action-packed dreams.

Character Dreams:

My favorite dreams of all are my people dreams. In one, I actually was a servant on a cruise ship to a very large queen! Her name was Leonia. She wore a very small paper crown, the kind you make in school sometimes for birthdays. Leonia had a very large toothy smile and she sometimes allowed me to sit on her green velvet throne!

Okay, back to reality! My dreams, while I’m sleeping, are my reality. Some can be scary enough to wake me from a very deep sleep. But, here’s the thing, dear writer—you can conjure up a dream in the middle of the day! Actually, if you allow the clouds to part, and slip behind them, there is always a dream waiting there for you!

So, let’s get to it! Grab your notebook, colored pencils and pens and let’s play inside that dream space a bit. Stay tuned to this space, and I’ll be back with what to do next! Because, it’s in those dreams, in the parting of the clouds, that the writer meets her story and the story meets the page!