Dreams
are funny things. Take this one for example:
 |
| Aliens love to mall walk! |
I'm at an abandoned mall turned airport getting on
a plane (but the plane is more like a spaceship). Then I volunteer to get off
the plane to deal with the aliens (think Sigourney Weaver) in order to clear
the way out of the mall. A few of us start shooting the aliens (because
apparently we all brought guns to the airport and nobody cared) and I tell
everyone to shoot for the head. I realize I'm really low on ammo and then I
wake up.
Weird,
right? My mom blamed it on watching a little too much “Walking Dead” - as if
there could actually be too much of that excellent show!
 |
| Sunday night, after new episodes of "The Walking Dead" |
Whatever
the reason for dreams, they can serve as excellent inspiration. The basic idea
behind my first book was dreamed up… literally. I woke up thinking about a pair
of twins casting a spell and the idea for a book was born.
I
love writing dream sequences. They can be full of crazy imagery, buried
meanings, and a stream of consciousness style. And those dreams can mean
anything - from character worries to premonitions to story foreshadowing. Several
dreams figure in my upcoming book, along with a couple of nightmares as well. The
characters wonder what the dreams mean, and sometimes they think they know... but
can a person ever be sure they understand the meaning behind their dreams?
A long time ago, in one dream, I was in a big van going down a hill with no brakes. I woke up screaming. Perhaps, my life was out of control at that point--or at least I thought it was. :^)
ReplyDeleteI've had those anxiety/out of control dreams too. My least favorite one is the falling dream :(
DeleteI generally don't recall my dreams - but when I do they are crazy. I think i need the walking dead blankets
ReplyDeleteHappy A to Z
baygirl32.blogspot.com
I agree about the blanket! I don't know if I'd be able to sleep well on that bloody-looking pillowcase though.
DeleteI almost did my post on dreams too! I had nightmares for years of lava chasing me and a man with a machete chasing me to decapitate me. Not fun. Then finally people came with garden hoses and beat him up. He never bothered me again. The lava does come back. LOL! I like you dream about shooting the aliens. Nice to be in A to Z together!
ReplyDeleteLava and garden hoses? It may be scary, but it's very imaginative! Thanks for sharing!
DeleteUgh, dreams... The dream that comes back to haunt me has a similar plot (and I only have these when I'm stressed): I am trapped in a huge building--mall, warehouse, college, business building, whatever--and can't get out no matter what door I open. The worst of this is that there is sometimes people after me with guns. *Shiver* How's that? :O
ReplyDeleteElizabeth
A to Z co-host
I hate those stress dreams! I try to tell my subconscious I might be a little less stressed if I could sleep without being interrupted by nightmares, but I don't think it's listening.
DeleteThe majority of my dreams are crazy, but I did have one dream that inspired me to write and ever since then I haven't been able to stop. The cast of True Blood was trying to keep a girl from her vampire love. I woke up and thought that would be fun to write. Being my first story, it's never going to see the light of day. lol
ReplyDeleteI'd love to dream about the cast of True Blood! Especially Alcide or Sam or Eric!
DeleteI had a dream that I was in a mixing bowl and these giant mixers were coming down to ground me up. Needless to say, I woke up screaming.
ReplyDeleteWow, that is really scary! You have to wonder where a dream like that came from... or maybe you were just mixing a cake earlier in the day...?
DeleteHa - I love crazy dreams like this! Happens to me all the time. :)
ReplyDeleteI rarely remember my dreams. I think I woke up in the middle of this one, which is why I remembered it at all. I use an app on my phone called Dream Book to jot down key details of dreams when I can.
DeleteAh man, my dreams are too freakish to be used for anything constructive. I can't remember any particular one right now, but they usually involve getting lost in Staircase Illusion type buildings, either chasing something or being chased by something, and sometimes I'm not even being myself in the dream but have slipped into someone else's skin. :S
ReplyDeleteInteresting topic, though! :) Wish you fun with the #atozchallenge!
It's unusual for me to dream I'm someone else... I'll bet that can be interesting!
DeleteI've had some crazy ones. Some have been downright horrific. Thanks for sharing. Time to break out the dream journal again.
ReplyDeleteIf you have an iPhone, take a look at the Dream Book app. It doesn't let you write entries, but you can record main themes and subjects for every night. It also gives lots of interpretations.
DeleteI'm glad I'm not the only one to have crazy dreams. I've even turned a few of them into stories as well - the best inspiration!
ReplyDeleteNew follower here. I’m enjoying reading my fellow “A to Z”ers. I look forward to visiting again.
Sylvia
http://www.writinginwonderland.blogspot.com/
I love dreams as inspiration. Your mind creates scenarios for you while you sleep. Of course, turning that one kernel of an idea into a comprehensive story is the challenge, but that's the fun part!
DeleteHi, Jennifer! I have such bizarre and vivid dreams sometimes! My dreams are usually very emotionally-charged. If I wake up and can't remember the details, I always remember the emotions. I also remember colors, which is cool! I like going to dreammoods.com and looking up the meanings of the prominent things or events in my dreams. Dreams are so fascinating.
ReplyDeleteNice to meet you and happy A to Z!!
I agree, they can be very emotional! I had this nightmare about my husband once and woke up so upset, I felt like I wanted to be mad at him all day - even though he did nothing wrong and would actually never do what I dreamed about in the first place.
DeleteI love crazy dreams, and that aliens at the mall thing has to be some kind of metaphor! Brains like to mess with us when we're sleeping.
ReplyDeleteI love to sleep, mainly because I have insane dreams. Most are also movie-like, but sometimes they're random and insane. My favorite are the flying dreams, but I can never fly right. Once I dreamed I could only fly if I was sitting in the big part of a shopping cart... but I couldn't control which way I went because it had one crazy wheel that kept winging around and acting like a rudder to change my direction at breakneck speed.
That sounds like it could have been a scene in Harry Potter - something the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office would be interested in!
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