Something Writerly About Dreams

So, I don't know about all y'all, but I've not been sleeping well.

I have a gun!

(There are a few voices calling from the aether - they are saying...

JOIN THE FRICKIN' CLUB!

Aether voices, I salute you.)

Salute

Anyhoozle, the weirdest and random dreams have been plaguing my subconscious.  Like one time I dreamed of storm clouds that went roaring by, sort of like those old Disney movies where it films the clouds in fast-forward, and seconds later a veritable tidal wave flooded the landscape.  This happened twice.  It felt quite portentous.

Shelob

Another time I dreamed someone had been falsely accused of murder, and there was a frantic rush while we rushed the accused to safety, and it was very Bourne/Narnia.  I know, right.  Weird.

What?

What?

Another time, the dream started IN prison, one of those old antique prisons, and the nice little prisoner very cleverly found a way out of the prison, picking up a random hairy stranger on the way, and at the end of the dream the nice little prisoner gets hurt and the hairy stranger (who apparently magically sheds his extreme hairiness) has to protect him.

I dunno

Anyway, I mention dreams because I had one where nightmares and bad dreams are different from each other, in that bad dreams are essentially that - BAD dreams - and nightmares are the conscience that can steer a bad dream back to good dreams.
 

*snicker*

That's cool, folks.

I mention THAT because I feel like an oft forgotten necessity for writers is to always keep a notebook by their beds.  You never know when an idea will attack you while you sleep.  You have to be ready for it, ready to pounce.
 

Pounce!

Yep.  I just posted a writerly blog post!!  CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!?!?!

Pretty much!

Oh, and if you are ever feeling "dried up" creatively, think about buying one of these suckers:

Buddha Board

 I "impulse bought" one at Barnes and Noble the last time I was down there, and it is incredibly soothing and freeing.  You just use a little water and the water "paints" on the canvas.  It's non-permanent, and you wouldn't believe how fun it is to just draw knowing nothing will be permanent.  I love it.  I want a big one.  I bought the mini, which fits in my purse, but I want the big one now.

No, the big one! Big one!

This is the Cat, leaving you with THAT whisker of wisdom.

:-)

Cheers and God Bless!

The Cat

Writing Challenges

I recently posted a comment over at Talking Animal Addicts about writing challenges, and this made me start thinking. What is one of your writing challenges?

Me, I challenge myself to take notes, all day long. I have to take notes, because with my job I do not always have the luxury of writing full scenes as they come to me. That has to wait until lunch break at least! But I always have post-its in my pocket, and when that little voice speaks inside my brain, I KNOW I'm going to regret it if I don't write a note down and capture the essence of the idea. If I leave it and try to commit it to memory alone, I know that little gem of an idea will go away and ne'er return. I have piles and piles of post-its that I bring home, with occasional snippets of dialogue and quick sketches of characters done while I'm on the phone and able to multi-task. These are my "scraplets." Once I get them home I input them in the computer. Some become full-fledged novel ideas. Others simmer on the back burner of the "Hmm" stove until I can decide whether they're usable or not.

Another challenge I set for myself is to always, always, always write down my vivid dreams. I've jerked myself awake before, sitting upright and grappling for a pen before I've fully woken in order to frantically scribble down details before I forget them. I've had three fully-plotted stories come to me, and I've actually finished the manuscript for one just the other day, and it's a doozy! So, always write down your dreams.

How about you? What is your writing challenge, or goal you recommend for other writers?

Until later, God Bless!
Cat