1. lipton_lover

    lipton_lover New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2008
    Messages:
    228
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Michigan

    Do you dream about your stories?

    Discussion in 'Plot Development' started by lipton_lover, Apr 13, 2009.

    This question may sound odd, but I'm serious. I love dreams, especially realistic ones/ones that continue/ones that I have more than once/nightmares... you get the idea. And I think I write pretty vivid stories, that would make great dreams. But I have never dreamt about one before. Does anyone else? And if so, do you know why? (aka did you read it just before falling asleep)

    Thanks, Nate
     
  2. Rei

    Rei Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Aug 2, 2008
    Messages:
    7,864
    Likes Received:
    32
    Location:
    Kingston
    I don't think it's an odd question at all. I'm sure lots of people do. If I have had such dreams, though, I don't remember them.
     
  3. Dalouise

    Dalouise New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2009
    Messages:
    822
    Likes Received:
    2
    Location:
    Ireland
    If I'm right into a project, living and breathing it, then I visualise being a fly on the wall watching and listening to what is happening. Then when I dream, it carries on. Very useful when I'm not sure about a scene or dialogue! Even more useful, I remember it when I wake up.
     
  4. sophia_esteed

    sophia_esteed New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 22, 2008
    Messages:
    136
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Italy
    A lot! :)
     
  5. OneMoreNameless

    OneMoreNameless New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 5, 2009
    Messages:
    229
    Likes Received:
    2
    Location:
    Bravely adventuring beyond the fourth wall.
    Heh, when I was something like 12 one of the first complete "books" (4000 words is pretty good at that age!) I wrote was based heavily on a heroic fantasy style dream I'd had the night before, and then imagined what would happen if a key character from the dream dropped into reality (and the MC later returning to slay a great evil sorcerer, naturally). I even wrote several sequels, still have the original word documents on my computer, later attempted (with no success) to write a complete fantasy novel based strongly on it, and at one point last year half planned a serious fantasy / scifi trilogy based loosely upon it, because if anything is going to get me famous it's an all but forgotten wish fulfillment dream from my childhood.

    I think I'm digressing. :rolleyes: I very rarely recall dreams of my own stories, but every so often I'll wake up frantically trying to recall some dream as inspiration. (Usually I forget anything useful by the time I have a pen in hand. :()
     
  6. thabear637

    thabear637 New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 9, 2008
    Messages:
    55
    Likes Received:
    2
    Yes i've dreamt a little about the story I'm writing.

    Of course when I do I only know I dreamt of it, nothing specific comes to mind so it doesn't help with the actual "story" :(
     
  7. rory

    rory Active Member

    Joined:
    Dec 19, 2008
    Messages:
    285
    Likes Received:
    0
    I don't generally dream, but on the rare occasions that I do it's fanfic-ish, because I've just recently read the story/watched the movie/played the game. Actually I'm not sure it would be accurate to call it dreaming, it's in that state before sleep but you're not really awake either...
     
  8. Adelaide

    Adelaide New Member

    Joined:
    May 10, 2008
    Messages:
    98
    Likes Received:
    0
    I don't think I've ever dreamt of any of my stories.

    I do daydream, though. I was once walking through some woods and part of it was a pine grove. I had recently written a story in which a murder takes place in a pine grove. I pictured my characters coming through the trees and me knowing what was going to happen. It was eerie.
     
  9. vanhunks

    vanhunks New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2009
    Messages:
    27
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Cape Town
    I call them story dreams. Sometimes I dream an entire story sequence. Of course, when I wake up in the morning, I have very little recollection of them. I have a better recollection when I'm awake. Of course.

    vanhunks
     
  10. thegearheart

    thegearheart New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 7, 2009
    Messages:
    32
    Likes Received:
    1
    My dreams don't make any sense. My stories come to me in the shower or on my commute.
     
  11. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2006
    Messages:
    19,150
    Likes Received:
    1,034
    Location:
    Coquille, Oregon
    i don't dream about what i'm writing, but i did dream a great story once that i then wrote as a sci-fi screenplay...
     
  12. SilverRam

    SilverRam New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 10, 2009
    Messages:
    71
    Likes Received:
    2
    I don't have dreams on pre-existing stories, I do make stories after dreams. I hate dreams, good thing I don't get them anymore. All I ever did get is nightmares about fire. The few dreams that were fun were simply amazing.
     
  13. Brightsmiles

    Brightsmiles New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 3, 2009
    Messages:
    153
    Likes Received:
    2
    Location:
    Somewhere between the rabbit hole and wonderland.
    i dream about my story line a lot. half the time i don't remember actual words of dialouge, but i am left with impressions of characters and emotional tensions etc, which help make them so much real to me and that ends up showing in my work. i daydream about it a lot too, to see if what i'm writing fits in with how it would naturally unfold. i do notice when i'm thinking about it more during the day, i tend to dream about it that night.
     
  14. chandler245

    chandler245 Banned

    Joined:
    Mar 29, 2009
    Messages:
    617
    Likes Received:
    0
    I dream a lot about many of my characters. It is like they are talking to me, through my dreams. I remember when they spoke (my characters) to me I can feel them not only in dreams but even when I am awake. So this is not an odd question. Yes your character can come to life. Enjoy it and write down anything that you can remember. It really helped my writing. Just my two cents.
     
  15. architectus

    architectus Banned

    Joined:
    Aug 19, 2008
    Messages:
    1,795
    Likes Received:
    14
    Location:
    Ca
    Look up lucid dreaming techniques. Use that, but while you are falling back to sleep imagine the place in your story you want to dream about.
     
  16. lipton_lover

    lipton_lover New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2008
    Messages:
    228
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Michigan
    You hate dreams?! I would think every writer would love them as much as me. I especially love nightmares. Great writing material aside, dreams are fascinating.

    Thanks architectus, I will do that.
     
  17. OneMoreNameless

    OneMoreNameless New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 5, 2009
    Messages:
    229
    Likes Received:
    2
    Location:
    Bravely adventuring beyond the fourth wall.
    Believing you are in a horrible situation and then waking up terrified and tired it awesome.

    Wait, what?
     
  18. KP Williams

    KP Williams Active Member

    Joined:
    Dec 30, 2007
    Messages:
    606
    Likes Received:
    11
    Location:
    My place
    Pfft. I wish. Getting bossed around by Taylor, my MC? That would be awesome. XD
     
  19. Henry The Purple

    Henry The Purple Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2009
    Messages:
    318
    Likes Received:
    1
    When I was a young child, I would say I was around nine or ten years of age, I had a very vivid dream. I was so affected by it that I wrote a short story the very next morning. Have no clue where it disappeared to...
     
  20. SilverRam

    SilverRam New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 10, 2009
    Messages:
    71
    Likes Received:
    2
    Ah, just remembered I once dreamed of a story I was working on(scrapped now) There was a new character there, I had no pre-existing thoughts about him. He was just there, dreamed up within a dream. I still use him too. He's just evolved alittle.

    They're not fun when a your nine and dreaming about unstoppable fire crawling towards your home. Twice a week, and I've never even had bad experiences with fire.
     
  21. jade's dream

    jade's dream New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 14, 2009
    Messages:
    10
    Likes Received:
    0

    hi, yes all my ideas have come from my dreams. I now have a habit of keeping notebook and pen beside my bed as Im afraid of forgetting them.
    I sometimes have a habit of having weird dreams as well, I must have a great imagination for that to happen.
     
  22. Mercurial

    Mercurial Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2009
    Messages:
    3,451
    Likes Received:
    116
    I dont often dream about my stories (though it has happened on rare occasions), but most of my stories come to me in dreams. I rarely dream, and I figure when it's a dream I remember, it's worth writing about. :)
     
  23. lynneandlynn

    lynneandlynn New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 28, 2009
    Messages:
    746
    Likes Received:
    3
    Location:
    Asheville, NC
    This is really random...but speaking about dreams, I had one last night where Homer Simpson somehow became a black man...it was very odd. I remember him wanting to do a lot of discoing. Of course, this could have been the affect of the narcotics I've been prescribed, but *dang.* What a weird dream...

    ~Lynn
     
  24. Bongo Mongo

    Bongo Mongo New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 6, 2009
    Messages:
    62
    Likes Received:
    0
    My stories are based off my dreams so yeah, you can say that I do.
     
  25. Agreen

    Agreen Faceless Man Contributor

    Joined:
    Jan 19, 2009
    Messages:
    2,142
    Likes Received:
    67
    Location:
    Canada
    I'm able to control my dreams to an extent, and so every once in a while something creative comes out of them. It's rare that I actually dream about the stories I'm working on- I'll think about them right before I go to bed both because I sometimes get good ideas then and because I have trouble sleeping and keeping my busy helps me fall asleep easier.

    That said, two of my stories were based on my dreams. One is a short story which I've unfortunately lost, the other is a novel I'm planning on working on once I have some time away from my current project. Often I'll wake up and think 'Damn, I wish I could remember that dream, it would have make a great story," and those were two times I actually remembered.
     

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice