April 27, 2023

W - Write Down Your Dreams + BONUS

 


NOTE: I fell behind with visiting blogs and returning comments the past two weeks because I was having a really hard time with my grief after losing my mom last month, but yesterday I caught up with one visit each to the bloggers who had visited me during that time (if I was able to access their blog), and I will do my best to return comments each day to the end of the challenge.


I have extremely vivid dreams where I can remember every detail upon waking. Because of this, many of my dreams have inspired stories. I wake up from dreams all the time and think, “That would make a great story!”

30 Seconds came about from a dream I had where I was spinning around on a swivel chair, with rock music blaring, when a pair of hands stopped the chair, and a man in a police officer’s uniform kissed me. Hubba-hubba. Well, I thought upon waking, “How can I turn this into a story?” I stayed in bed, thinking about it and created Dr. Dani Hart and Officer Blake Herro. The dream I had is even a scene in my novella.

I have several other works-in-progress inspired by dreams, too. What I do is go backward and figure out what happened up to what I dreamt about, and I swap myself out for a female character I invent who works for the story. Or, more precisely, a female character steps forward, telling me it’s her story, not mine.

After examining the “Works-in-Progress” folder on my computer, I can tell you I have twelve stories that all came to me because of a dream. I also have a list of ideas I haven’t begun, and several of them originated from dreams.


Dream Journal

As soon as you wake up, before you lose your dream, write down everything you remember about it. Even the odd twists and turns that dreams are known to make. This is a potential story waiting to be developed and written. You can morph it into a story of any length. We’re not just talking about novels here but short fiction, too.

Or maybe you can use bits and pieces of your dream as scenes for your current work-in-progress. I’ve done that, too.

If you pay attention to your dreams, they can be an infinite source of creativity for you. Writing down your dreams and looking back at them can spark ideas for countless stories. So, document them, let them stir your conscious mind, see where they take you as a creator, and write. After all, you own your dreams. They are yours. Use them!


BONUS A TO Z

THEME: AVRIANNA HEAVENBORN


W - Wizard of Oz Joke


In the first chapter of Universal Killer, when Avrianna is at the crime scene located at the Veil, she does something rare. She says a joke.
Universal Killer Excerpt:

Avrianna’s gaze swept across the ground, searching for the dead body. Except, there wasn’t one. Well, not all of one, anyway. A pair of black leather shoes and a pair of ankles poked through the Veil. Whoever had been killed there, the rest of their body wasn’t even in her world.

A middle-aged man with dark hair that reached the collar of his white polo shirt stood a few feet away, staring at the feet and jotting notes in a pad. She joined him. “Hey, Chuck.” She put her hands on her hips and eyed the leather shoes. “So, is this the Wicked Witch of the East’s spouse?”

Chuck looked at her with wide, blue eyes. “Did you just make a joke?”

Her lips quirked at the corners. “I’m not a robot. I can make jokes.”

“I’ve never known it to happen.”

To read Universal Killer, Cocky Killer, and all future Avrianna Heavenborn novellas on Patreon, become a patron for just $5.00 a month. You get access to special perks, too, and you pay-it-forward to a good cause because 10% of all earnings go to StandUp for Kids, a charity that helps homeless American youth.







12 comments:

  1. Jamie (jannghi.blogspot.com):
    I always have trouble remembering dreams. Some I can, but not long enough to write them down.

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  2. Thank you for visiting, and I am sorry you are emotionally burdened.

    Last night's dream for me involved a staircase under construction with flights missing, and my one good bra being on the top floor and I had no backup to wear. I hate waking up after having to "fight" and "work" all night trying to resolve an issue. But I do have one mystery-thriller story I wrote down so much - likely a novel - from a dream years ago. I really should finish it.

    The problem, as with everything, is finding time.

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    Replies
    1. Working through any issues we have during the day while we sleep is tiring.

      Thank you for your kind comment!

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  3. I'm a prolific dreamer also, and have been recording them since I was a teenager. I love that you use yours in your writing! I often use mine in my art. It's like having a secret stash of inspiration.

    I'm sorry for your loss.

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    1. "a secret stash of inspiration." I love that!

      Thank you, Deborah.

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  4. That's a great way for some writing inspiration. No worries about visiting blogs. Of course this is going to be a tough time for you.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Liz. I still feel the pressure of visiting blogs, and it can offer a distraction.

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  5. I don't write down all dreams, but probably record on average 2-3 a week. I keep a journal near the bed so I can write the dream down. On a few occasions, I have been dreaming of preaching a sermon and ended up using most of the dream in my sermon. Hang in there with your grief.

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    1. I love that you've dreamt about perching a sermon and have used those dreams in your actual sermons. That's amazing.

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  6. Great tip! I like that your female characters tell you it's their story, not yours :-)

    Ronel visiting for W:
    My Languishing TBR: W
    Warrior God: Ares

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    Replies
    1. Gotta love it when the female characters know and claim what's theirs. :)

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