Header PromotionDid anyone else see the Stephanie Myers interview on Oprah the other day? I dvr’d (is that a word?) it and watched it and wasn’t surprised to see that the idea for Twilight came to her in a dream. I say not surprised because I’ve had a number of books come from dreams. I’ve learned to keep a pen and pad next to my bed at night for just that reason. There are times I wake up and write the whole thing down, only to read it the next day and amaze myself with my level of weirdness. But other times I’ve had whole books come to me in dreams, beginning middle and end.
I tend to dream very action oriented dreams. As a former Bombshell author turned Romantic Suspense author – this works well for me. Certainly not every book just comes fully formed from a dream – I’m not that lucky. But often if I’m thinking about an idea that I want to write about and I think of certain elements of the plot right before I go to bed then bam… the magic happens.
I get teased a lot by my friends because I sleep in on the weekends. I tend to wake up early but then doze for hours just letting my mind wander. They call it being lazy. I call it working.
Now keep in mind I’ve never had a dream that was worth - as Oprah put it - a Kachillion dollars. But the good news is that I go to sleep every night… so you never know.
Come on, tell me - where do your ideas for stories come from? Anyone a dreamer like me?
Stephanie Doyle
Dreams
I don't dream stories like I used to, but I used to do it a LOT. Often I would finish a manuscript and be in that "what am I going to write next" thing and I would dream it. Now I usually end up with books waiting to be written so my subconscious doesn't have to work so hard.
That being said - if I am on vacation or have taken a break from writing, the number one sign that I need to get back to work is that I start having really weird dreams! It's like my mind is saying "Hello! Start working that creative muscle again!"
Donna
A BRIDE FOR ROCKING H RANCH, in Montana, Mistletoe, Marriage - November 09
Cowboys and Confetti Duet:
ONE DANCE WITH THE COWBOY, Romance, January 2010
HER LONE COWBOY, Romance, March 2010
http://www.donnaalward.com
Dreams
I always have vivid dreams, some pleasant and some unpleasant. What bugs me is that if I wake in the middle of a pleasant dream and desperately want to continue it, too bad. I can go back to sleep, but I never pick up the good dream again. However, if it's a bad dream, I can wake a dozen times and go back to sleep ... and right back into the nightmare. It drives me crazy! To break the cycle I have to get up until I'm good an awake before trying to go back to bed.
And for reasons I don't fully understand, a lot of my bad dreams revolve around alligators and crocodiles being on the loose, sometimes in my house, and running around trying to find our family members and pets and be sure they're safe. Since I live in Kentucky where we have absolutely no alligators and crocodiles outside of zoos, I don't know why they are my nightmare choice.
Adopt a shelter pet. Save a life; gain a best friend for life.
View my DD's very public video acting debut at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-E-v05kMucw.
July 2009 Member of the Month
Donna - I'm with you.
Donna - I'm with you. Dreams are an absolute outlet for my creativity. It's only when I really let go that the good stuff comes.
And JV - for me it's snakes. I can be having the most normal dream... suddenly a snake shows up and it's sign that someting bad is on it's way. It is the oddest thing.
Steph
Stephanie Doyle
www.stephaniedoyle.net
Dreams to stories...
I am a dreamer, but not may of my stories come from my dreams. I get my ideas as I'm sitting doing nothing, or driving (aka sitting doing nothing LOL). Its really horrible, because I'll be driving to town (20 miles away) and start writing a story in my mind. I'll plot it out and everything. I have found this is much more distracting than talking on a phone. AH!
The most horrible thing about it though is that when I finally get to a pen and paper or a computer, I lose all the words. If I could have put on to paper all the different stories and worlds I've created in my head. WOW! I'd have quite a few books. But I think that most people have that same problem, so many stories in their heads and potential books, but they just don't get written down.
My other problem is that IF I do get it written down, it doesn't sound as good as it did in my head. *sigh* oh well.
Dreams to remember?
Count yourself lucky if you remember your dreams, or so I think. I very, and I mean very, rarely remember anything and if I do it is never in pictures or words, just emotional impressions of what is going on. If that isn't enough it is probably disjointed at that. A long time ago in my single digit days I did remember dream but they were still just impressions I think. Maybe things will change someday, who knows.
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Use the talents you have, for the woods would be silent if no birds sang except the best. (from a flip inspiration book-'Thoughts for my daughter')
Dreams
I usually don't remember the good ones, only the bad ones. I don't usually dream about animals or rodents or snakes. I usually dream about people I know.
Linda Henderson
Dreamin'
I have had an idea start to form right as I'm dozing off. I tell myself if I remember it in the morning it is worth writing down. I think I read somewhere that's what Stephen King does, so I tried it and most times I remember what it is.
Marcie
dreams
I've gotten story ideas from dreams before. Haven't in a while though.... Hm... think I need a nap today! :-)
Beth C
Beth Cornelison- www.bethcornelison.com
THE CHRISTMAS STRANGER-Silhouette Romantic Suspense- October 2009
BLACKOUT AT CHRISTMAS-SRS- November 2009
I do not remember my dreams.
I know a lot of people do and I envy them. I am lucky that I do not remember bad dreams but I also do not remember any of the good ones either.
Elaine
I used to keep a dream
I used to keep a dream journal next to my bed. Whenever I woke up I would record any dreams I remembered. I got to the point where I was remembering between 6 - 12 dreams per night. I finally had to stop recording in order to shut down the dream factory a bit.
But some of the dreams have jump started a story.
Nancy
January 2009 Member of the Month
Participant in Date with Destiny 2009
Participant in Pass the Plot Spring 2009