Dream Your Way to a Great Short Story!
I’ve enjoyed sleeping for as long as I can remember. My mom
may tell a different story about childhood naps and early bedtimes, but as far
as I am concerned sleep is a very necessary and enjoyable activity. I sleep,
therefore I dream and in recent years I’ve incorporated my dreams into my
journal. Journaling my dreams has provided me with fabulous material for short
stories and blog posts and has also given me ideas on how to enhance my writing
to make it more vivid and exciting for the reader.
I’ve suggested dream journaling to those who have self
diagnosed themselves with ‘writers block’. I personally have found that dream journaling
is a great way to stop those recurring dreams or those that end too soon.
Recurring dreams and those that end in the middle seem to have one thing in
common – something needs attention or closure. I’ve found that by writing down
what I remember about the dream and then adding the unfinished details I can
find the closure my sleeping self was looking for. This may not come naturally
at first, but the more you journal the easier it gets.
An example of an unfinished dream might be waking up just
after you meet a handsome prince in the middle of the woods. Of course you wake
up feeling like you want more: more time with the prince, possibly a kiss, etc…you
want to find your happily ever after. Start by journaling or jotting down what was in the
dream:
·
Tall trees
·
Brightly colored leaves
·
Singing birds
·
Small animals scampering through the woods
·
Jazz music playing quietly in the background
·
A soft blanket and an overflowing picnic basket
·
The dark haired prince with the broad shoulders
and sparkling brown eyes
·
Your hair falling in ringlets down your back
·
Your yellow sundress made of the softest cotton
That’s where things stopped in the dream. The prince came
into view, looked at you longingly, and beep…beep…beep your alarm clock brought
you back to the reality of an empty bed, an itchy work shirt, and a tedious day
of work and your demanding boss.
Use your journal and your writing talents to journal yourself
an ending. Pick up right where you left off and add the details.
·
The prince sat down on the picnic blanket
·
He grabbed your hand softly and kissed your hand
with his oh so soft and voluptuous lips
·
He spoke and his voice gave you a shiver because
it was so deep
·
He told you that you were the princess he had
dreamed about for so long and he could hardly look at you because of your
astonishing beauty
·
You shared a sandwich and chatted comfortably
for hours before parting ways and promising to meet at this same spot tomorrow
·
The following day he proposes and you live
happily ever after in a castle on the hill overlooking the bluest river you
have ever seen
Once your story has an ending you can put it together into a
short story, poem, or other piece of writing. You may also find that by giving
the story closure, you will not have the same dream night after night. It seems
that finishing the story gives your subconscious more available space for the
next great idea/story and it’s doubtful that you’ll ever run out of material
for your stories.
Enjoy!
May your paths be abundantly filled with lemons, sugar, sunshine, and dreams with happy endings!
~Crystal
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