Dreams & Writing

anomalocaris · Post by **anomalocaris** » 01 Jun 2014, 19:57

I have vivid dreams, often with recurring, adventurous themes, but since I primarily work in nonfiction, I haven't based anything on them. Do people really dream in black and white? That must so weird. I wonder if people who dream in B&W have more lucid dreams than others -- seems like you'd always be aware it was a dream. because of the lack of colors.

Katherine E Wall · Post by **Katherine E Wall** » 02 Jun 2014, 04:12

I have had dreams which are cinematic in nature, including a musical score. They are quite enjoyable to experience, but I have never used them for inspiration. I tend to have too many ideas as it is, so I guess my dream time is just complete relaxation time.

Vimtuous · Post by **Vimtuous** » 17 Jul 2014, 10:18

I have some pretty crazy dreams and have for sure used them as inspiration for writing. I have story like dreams a lot of the time where there is character and action and conflict so they can be used as prompts at least. A lot of times though after realizing what I dreamed about doesn't make any sense to anyone but me, I'll kind of throw the idea out. Like in my dream the other night where I was on a mission to find a giant penis balloon for some reason.

haprima · Post by **haprima** » 17 Jul 2014, 12:23

I've tried to use dreams as inspiration in writing before, but the events themselves tend to be so far-fetched and nonsensical that it's usually more the setting or the emotion that I end up trying to convey than anything else. At the very least, they serve as inspiration to try out different situations for characters to act in. Otherwise, I don't think it'd make sense to try and have someone progress through a department store that has lockers on the ceiling that lead to other locations.

Aki · Post by **Aki** » 17 Jul 2014, 12:31

I have a few short stories that were actual dreams of mine, which were both Adventurous and Fantasy-like. But its a bit hard to write when you have bad memory...heh...

SidnayC · Post by **SidnayC** » 17 Jul 2014, 18:09

YES!!!!!!!!!! The novel I am writing now is based on a dream I had about it. When I woke up from the dream I was crying. I had even known I'd been dreaming. It took me a couple of days to realize that this dream wasn't just accidental. It had a purpose in my life. Now my novel is the best novel I have ever written and I thank God so much for that dream!

alex_ · Post by **alex_** » 20 Jul 2014, 22:06

One of my dreams was about my life, my personal life. And although not initially but dreaming about my life, kind of inspired me to write about my own life.

thenameisZelda · Post by **thenameisZelda** » 24 Jul 2014, 19:09

Oh goodness yes. I have several dreams that I plan on expanding. I tend to have very strange dreams that make for very good short stories. Plus my dream recall rate is impressive. I remember dreams I had up to 6 years ago. Which is when I started making a note that I wanted to be able to recall my dreams. Slowly over time it's only become easier.

Ncuffee21 · Post by **Ncuffee21** » 25 Jul 2014, 03:15

I have a collection of stories written down from dream that I would like to turn into books.

bethdearie · Post by **bethdearie** » 27 Jul 2014, 12:47

I often have such vivid dreams that I must share through writing. I am currently working on a story I had a dream about a couple years ago. It is my first work outside of fan fiction.

Johntherobert · Post by **Johntherobert** » 02 Aug 2014, 22:30

Never had a dream I could detail, but I do like journaling.

zoikes319 · Post by **zoikes319** » 04 Aug 2014, 13:31

I am lucky enough (Or unlucky enough?) to have lucid dreams where it is such an intense experience that it feels like my mind is writing the movie itself. I keep a notebook and a computer file of my dreams so I can quickly find something that will intrigue me to write. Almost all of my stories are based on dreams.

sbcarlisle · Post by **sbcarlisle** » 04 Aug 2014, 20:58

I'm unfortunate in that I don't often remember my dreams, but I have had a few that have inspired me to write. Many of my writer friends have stated that they are heavily influenced by their dreams.

NYpeaches · Post by **NYpeaches** » 04 Aug 2014, 22:04

Cheeky if your dreams aren't adventurous while you're asleep have you ever tried day dreaming? I like to people watch and usually it turns into extravagant stories about those people's lives.

Alison97 · Post by **Alison97** » 05 Aug 2014, 10:06

My current novel's (47,00 words--I'm almost done

) isn't entirely based on a dream, so much as it is on trying to explain that dream. I had this dream with this really weird scene that just didn't make sense, so I wrote a whole book trying to explain why those two people would be in that crazy situation.