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Two nights ago, I had a dream that it was Christmas and the neighborhood mothers had set up their annual candy tree celebration. I had the chance to climb onto my motorized flying pillow and hover around the tree to eat all of the candy I wanted. Really, I woke up wondering why such a childish fantasy was still floating around in my head. Where were all my politically philosophical dreams?
Lately, I've been including dream sequences in almost all of my longer stories. I think I started doing it because people said I shouldn't. I wanted to prove them wrong.
Have you had a cool dream lately? (Or a dream you're embarrassed about???) Do you put dreams in your books?
You've heard many of my dreams. I still think your hamburger dream is the best. :)
ReplyDeleteI've been having some dreams that evoked strong feelings lately. I don't remember most of them now but there is one that rivals yours in terms of being about something I should be way over by now.
ReplyDeleteI was at a friend's house for a celebration. We found a long lost friend. At some point they all left to go some place and I was the only one in the house.
Sigh. I thought I was all grown up. I don't even have cool props like flying pillows.
I think dream sequence can work in a story.
My dreams are too bizarre to write about!
ReplyDeleteSometimes I have dreams involving family and friends, only the family and friends look nothing like my waking real-life family and friends.
ReplyDeleteIt's creepy.
And once I dreamt that my "family and friends" were rising up out of the waves and slouching towards the beach whilst turning into loathsome monsters. Then I knew that I had to sing "Here Comes the Sun" at the top of my lungs to stop them from becoming murderous fell beasts.
Yes, I love a good dream sequence but I prefer them to be less impenetrable than the dream I just described.
Michelle, have you been keeping track of my past dreams? Should I be scared? Will you take over my brain?
ReplyDeleteYat-Yee, it's so hard to remember dreams! Especially when people ask you about them. The dream you describe is something I've lived many times.
Rick, that sounds fun.
Cynthia, I'm sure at the time your dreams weren't all that fun, but they sound really cool now!
I dreamt I was throwing debt collectors and other nasty people out of my flat last night. Didn't matter how attractive they were.
ReplyDeleteI even had one woman turn up in a wedding dreaa looking for the previous tennant.
When I was at the Clarion West writing workshop (which is Sci-Fi/fantasy oriented), instructor Howard Waldrop told the class, "There shall be no dreaming on board my ship." This was in response to a classmate who'd written a dream sequence into a story. Waldrop insisted they always bog a story down, because they don't move the story forward. I've used one nightmare in my writing, but tend to take Waldrop's message to heart.
ReplyDeleteIn the last dream I remember, Johnny Depp came to my house. That was nice. Usually I get weird chase/escape from danger dreams which would seem to indicate a level of stress in my life that I'd rather not have.
I'd much rather have Mr. Depp dropping by.
-Alex MacKenzie
Funny, I was just thinking about putting a dream in my book.
ReplyDeleteI dream several times a night. I wake up a lot so I remember them all. Like Rick they're mostly too odd to translate into words.
Wow, a motorized flying pillow sounds super cool. Maybe not so comfortable for your neck at night though?
ReplyDeleteAs a reader, I am not a huge fan of dream sequences. They usually feel like a distraction or an indulgence on the part of the writer, without telling me anything I need to know. There are, certainly, exceptions. Usually, they are very, very brief dream descriptions. (Like yours, which was fun to read just now!)
Often, yes. Many of my most terrifying dreams have made it into my work (and I also use dream sequences in one series).
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