Comments on: Writing-Related Dreams

By: Josh

Josh — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 17:53:06 +0000

I recently had a dream that I got a rather insulting rejection that trashed any hope I had for a writing career. I remember the story that got rejected, the agent who sent it, and the horrible feeling I woke up with…then the relief at realizing it was just a dream. Gee…what could I be fretting about in the dark corners of the brain?

By: Karen Wester Newton

Karen Wester Newton — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 17:24:50 +0000

I sometimes dream stories—I’m not in them and they’re often futuristic/otherworldly—but unfortunately, they’re usually just fragments. Only one has ever panned out to a full-fledged story.

By: S.C. Butler

S.C. Butler — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 22:01:28 +0000

No writing related dreams, but I do get the dream about suddenly discovering I have that high school class I thought I dropped. Only my fear is that I’ll have to go back to high school.

Finding myself actually back in high school is another anxiety dream altogether.

By: editor

editor — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 19:35:50 +0000

I had one recently about how I suddenly had all these extra pets, and I hadn’t been feeding them for days or weeks, and they were all on the edge of death. Given how overbooked I’ve been, it wasn’t hard to interpret.

By: Scarlett

Scarlett — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 18:59:21 +0000

I’ve never really had writing related dreams, but a recent series of dreams involving me turning up in places where sci-fi conventions are due to be held later this year, with no camera and consequently in total panic (I’m about as obsessive over my photos as I am about my writing), makes me wonder.

By: Kelly McCullough

Kelly McCullough — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 16:50:26 +0000

My recurring variation is one where someone at the St. Paul School Board realizes I failed to take some vital cluster of courses and contacts me to let me know that if I don’t come back and take another year of high school they’re going to revoke my entire education including college. I had this dream at least a couple of times a year from graduation through selling a book, almost always when I was worrying about something or feeling insecure.

But after that first sale, the school dream changed. Now when the person at the school board calls me into their office, I will bring a copy of my university diploma and a couple of my books, drop them on their desk and either walk out or offer to teach a seminar or two. I usually have this version after some sort of writing milestone.

A couple weeks ago after I hit the some stretch on MythOS I dreamed that I was back in school looking for my home room. I was late, but unworried about it. When I finally showed up, the teacher asked me if I was always going to be so late. I told him yes and explained that I was back for the year because it was a cheaper way of picking up some college courses I needed for research for my books. The teacher challenged me on the books front and I upended my backpack spilling out something like thirty books under five names, all of which I had written. The pile included the WebMage stuff, several of my books under submission and, for reasons known only to my subconscious a couple of Star Wars tie-ins.

By: Kristine Smith

Kristine Smith — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 16:01:56 +0000

Over the years, my stress dreams altered, from “stuck in a college course I never dropped and there’s an exam in three hours that I have to pass or I can’t graduate” to “on my way to a convention, but I get lost at the airport/train station” or “on my way to a panel, but I’m waylaid by friends and never make it.”

When I have writing-specific dreams, I find I can never recall the details of the story I’m writing. It’s the same as when I dream of winning lottery numbers, but can’t recall the numbers upon awakening. It’s like I have this golden thing in my head that I can’t get out. It’s very vexing.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:40:02 +0000

Hah, I have the car with no breaks dream myself, though I haven’t quite figured out what sort of stress it’s linked to.

I’ve found that when work gets really stressful or busy for me (writing code, rather than writing books) I start to incorporate bits of code into the times when I’m half awake, but still mostly asleep… like I remember being restless in the night and thinking “no, no, you can’t turn over until this loop finishes executing!”

Brains are so broken.