Comments on: No, Really, I’m Working

By: Maria V. Snyder

Maria V. Snyder — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 05:57:10 +0000

My dreams usually do not connect to what I’m working on.

However, one time and one time only, I dreamed a complete novel with characters, plot and a twist at the end. I wrote for an hour after waking up so I didn’t forget it. I sold the idea last year and am now writing the novel - which is due January 2nd - which is why I’m here…. best place to procrastinate

Thanks Kelly - I enjoyed your post!

By: Kelly McCullough

Kelly McCullough — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 14:38:27 +0000

Stormy, yes, my dream storyteller is often darker than what my forberain comes up with, though I’ve trained myself to add necessary darkness via the conscious process too.

Karen, mine are, I think more coherent than most, but it still requires a lot of hammering away to get it into a publishable shape.

Martyn, interesting. Mine are much more coherent in terms of image and world than plot or conflict. The latter two I have to impose ex-post-facto as part of the story building process.

My subconscious is pretty good about processing the book I’m working on if I’ve got one, that’s why I generally don’t dream vividly during a project. I tend to sleep like the dead and wake up with answers to book questions that were bothering me–of course sometimes that means waking up at 3:00 a.m. and writing but such is the life.

It’s only the in-between times where my dreams get truly strange, that and when I can’t write for a week or more.

By: Martyn Drake

Martyn Drake — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 13:33:49 +0000

It depends on how much cheese I have first (my secret weakness!). A considerable amount tends to invoke nightmares that I do remember - but these nightmares are not so much scary, but sad. It usually involves a loss of some kind based around recent events. I can never remember the exact details, but much of the outline of it. Would make for a decent drama if I could remember the details, though.

By: Stormy

Stormy — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 04:07:22 +0000

I know what you mean! Just last night I was thinking how much meaner my dream self was than me. Where as I have a hard time challenging my main character, my dream self threw mean alien invaders, a dying mom who gave me her baby, two deaf people (and I don’t know sign language) and a dark tunnel to crawl through (with the two deaf people who then couldn’t communicate at all.) I couldn’t dream that up awake!

By: Cliff Dunbar

Cliff Dunbar — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 20:21:30 +0000

Doesn’t work for me. I don’t remember my dreams.

By: Karen Wester Newton

Karen Wester Newton — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 18:16:08 +0000

I often dream stories—dreams in which I don’t appear at all. Sometimes they are science fiction or fantasy worlds, other times not. I usually identify with one characters even though it’s clearly not me, and sometimes not even female. I’ve gotten one decent (I think) novella out of a dream but the others were too fragmented.