A few months ago, Caroline, one of the women in my New Jersey writing group gave us an interesting writing challenge. "Catch the pieces of your dreams. Write them down right when you wake up and then use your dreams as writing fodder."
I've actually been doing that ever since, jotting a few colorful details down on a pad on my nightstand as soon as the alarm rings. It's a little like trying to trap the water of a receding wave between your gaping fingers. I scribble the images on the page: scarlet skirt, bleeding dog, missing scarf, keys lying at the bottom of the toilet bowl, and then trudge up to face the day. Often when I return a few hours later, the images are no longer connected to the dream, and they stare at me from the pale pink notepad page, vivid splotches of forgotten nonsense.
Sometimes though, the words manage to trap the magic of the dream and I can stand there, wide awake, but be transported back to that richly creative world where women fly, pigs talk, and anything is possible.
Regardless of whether or not I remember the actual dream, these filaments of my nocturnal wanderings make the richest, most interesting writing prompts. With their help, my pen runs across the page, helping me dream big, awake. When I put my pen down, ten, fifteen, twenty minutes later, I feel rested, whole, and at peace.
Why don't you try to catch your dreams in the next week? You'll be surprised by the rich life you lead at night.
Tonight's Sunday Scribblings prompt is Big Dreams.
7 comments:
You have a truly delicious way with the turn of a phrase.
Wow.
I'm going to buy a journal for my bedside table, tomorrow.
Thank you for the inspiration
beautifully written!
baby making and the subsequent frequent sleep interruptions have made for very interesting dreams lately. which i totally forget. i'm totally gonna write them down and do this!
I might just do a bit of dream catching.
I do something similar! I jot down a few ideas before I go to bed and as if by magic they seem to come together during the night! I often find myself getting out of bed in the early hours, writing my piece then going back to bed again for a final few hours!
Your dreams sound lovely and creative. The dreams I remember are epic and I'm running away from something or someone or running to someone or something. Or lost.
I enjoyed your piece and appreciated the encouragement to write down dreams. Never thought of it. Usually too busy forcing myself to get up in the morning.
I wish I remembered my dreams so that I could jot them down. Unfortunately - nothing! Maybe I spend too much time daydreaming :)
Great idea. Thanks for sharing it around. Some dreams are so vivid they are scary, others like you say, slip from your finger tips - lost to your subconscious.
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