Have you ever come up with a story plot through a dream? I did today, and I'm kind of hoping I'm not insane for pursuing it. But ever since I woke up this morning, this idea has been bouncing around in my head, and I feel like I have to run with it.
I've mentioned before that I have been in a bit of a slump all summer, and I can't seem to get anywhere on my WIP. But this dream has given me a burst of inspiration for the story, and in fact has made me change it a great deal. I'm still keeping my main character, and I still want to write a psychological suspense story, but I'm also adding a paranormal element to it. So I don't know what genre that is, but I do know I'm excited about the novel for the first time in months.
But because I'm a bit confused about genre, I think I have probably signed up for too many groups at the Platform-Building Campaign. I honestly couldn't decide what group would fit me the best, so I just signed up for several. I hope I haven't made a mistake, but I can't deny that I have a bad habit of getting carried away. ;)
On the plus side, being part of a variety of groups will give me a chance to connect with more bloggers, so I hope it will all be for the best.
Thanks to everyone who has already stopped by from the Campaign! I will be making the rounds starting this evening, and look forward to visiting all of your blogs.
Back to the title of this post, please tell me I'm not the only one who has had this kind of inspiration. I can't help but think that this dream was my brain's way of telling me I needed to change my focus. Or, maybe I'm just crazy. :D
Either way, it's nice to feel inspired again. Especially as it comes just in time to hit the Campaign trail. :)
I'm pretty sure my last novel was conceived in a dream. I woke up and saw the two main characters standing in front of me. Same as you, they wouldn't let go of me and I ended up writing all day to get down everything in my head. A year later I had a finished novel. Weird how that works sometimes, huh?
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you get excited about the WIP. My newest one is fun one day, too much work the next. LOL.
Lately my dreams have been weird so I wouldn't want to write a poem about those, but pleased you have good vibes about your dream.
ReplyDeleteYvonne,
I say use whatever inspiration you can get! I bet it's a cool idea! That is so fun.
ReplyDeleteyes, but i usually forget the best part..
ReplyDeleteand you're in my generic adult fiction group =)
thats me too a litle of everything!
many, many creative geniuses get their inspiration through dreams.
ReplyDeleteRun with it!
I get a lot of inspiration from my dreams. My unconscious has many stories to tell and I appreciate that it stuck me in an elevator with Rupert Grint last night. I do like that sort of inspiration!
ReplyDeleteHi! I'm in your Contemp group. Nearly all of my ideas come in dreams, complete with soundtrack. Perhaps I should be in the movie business instead?
ReplyDeleteSO cool that your subconscious is sending you excitement for a new novel. Sarah
@LG, oh, that's fantastic! I hope I can say I have a completed novel within a year as well. Fingers crossed!
ReplyDelete@Yvonne, I can relate to the weird dreams, for years I had a lot of nightmares and I'd never want to write about those. But this one definitely had a good vibe attached to it. Thanks!
@Abby, I agree, it is fun. Thanks so much!
@Tara, LOL, I'm terrible about forgetting dreams too. That's one reason it seemed weird that this one stayed with me. How cool that we're in the same group!
@Caren, I will, thanks! Creative geniuses, I like that. :D
@Christine, oh, what a fun dream, good inspiration for sure!
@foldingfields, oh, we must have posted at the same time! Your dreams sound awesome, I love that you have a soundtrack too. I'm a music nut. So great to meet you, I'm looking forward to the group!
ReplyDeleteI get most of my ideas that way. :)
ReplyDeleteMy dreams seem to cut through the murk of indecision, I keep a notebook by the bed to jot down the essence of the dream before it vanishes.
ReplyDeleteHi there, stopping by from the Campaign :)
ReplyDeleteI've got a few story plots lying around that I got from dreams that I have yet to do anything with. One of them is rolling around in my thoughts as a possibility for NaNoWriMo this year, but it's pretty low on the list. We'll see.
I think dreams are a great way to get inspiration. I have heard it suggested that it is a good habit to spend twenty minutes or so 'freewriting' first thing in the morning when your dreams are still fresh - but I have to say that I usually go straight to my computer first thing in the mornings instead.
ReplyDeleteI signed up for loads of groups too! And am often inspired by dreams, I'm currently plotting something that came to me in a dream.
ReplyDeleteHi Julie .. I really hold back! So good luck - I'm sure the plan will come together .. cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteHi Julie, Im from the paranormal group of the campaign, also working in my first novel. i wasnt sure at first when I came up with the idea either but I am pretty sure its a paranormal one.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I already enjoy your blog and clean honest writing style, which means that you will be an easy read and people will love your books! This is my first year in the campaign too and I had no idea what i was doing as I just joined tonight! I olny had one short story come to me once in a dream but I am trying to get that mechanism going again by thinking about my writing as I fall asleep.
Happy Writing!
Hang in there. We creative types tend to gush with ideas then find ourselves in the idea wasteland for awhile. I know it will turn around for you. Hopefully, this campaign will give you that extra boost. Good luck! I'll be around for moral support.
ReplyDeleteI'd say you're creative not crazy! You go girl!
ReplyDeleteFunny I posted today about... well a nightmare. But yes, dreams are where our minds are their freest.:)
ReplyDeleteJules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow
I think dreams are a great platform for a story!
ReplyDeleteMany of my stories come from dreams. When I have been impacted by something I've dreamed to the point that my mind keeps turning the dream story over in my mind after I've awakened then I will usually turn it into a story or write down the idea for future use. The dreams usually need to be modified to make them more logical, but the stories are usually fairly intact as I have perceived them in the dreams.
ReplyDeleteLee
Tossing It Out
@Laura, that's awesome. I'm actually hoping I will get more ideas from dreams, this was so vivid I'd love for it to happen more often. :)
ReplyDelete@sue, that's a great idea to keep a notebook. I think I will give that a shot and hopefully have some luck with it.
@blackanddarknight, hi, great to meet you! I'm looking forward to seeing you around the Campaign!
@JoAnna, oh, the freewriting idea is interesting! I'm like you, I go to the computer right away too. First I make coffee, then head for the laptop. :D
@Michele, yay, I'm glad there are others who signed up for a bunch of groups, it will be fun. How cool too that your current plot came from a dream, I hope we can both be successful with this inspiration.
@Hilary, thank you! I hope so, fingers crossed. Cheers to you as well. :)
@Samantha, hi, so glad to meet you! Thanks so much for your comments about my blog and style, that's so nice of you to say. We can be first-timers together, I'm looking forward to it! :)
@Ciara, thanks, I appreciate that. I already feel like I've gotten a bit of a boost so I do hope that continues.
@LynnMarie, thank you!! :)
@Jules, oh, I need to read your post, but I'm sorry it was a nightmare. That's a good way to look at it, our minds being free when we are dreaming.
@Amber, I think so too, now, at least I am hoping that will be the case for me. Thanks!
@Lee, that's what I kept doing, turning the dream over in my mind and the story just kind of came from there. I hope I have more inspiration like this, as I feel totally re-energized by it.
I can't say I've had a dream inspiration before, but I have lots of shower ones. That's actually where I fix most of my problems.
ReplyDeleteI think dreams are a rich source of inspiration for stories. I'm always reading you should always keep a notebook and pen next to the bed, in case you wake up with a great idea during the night. Sounds like good advice - now I just need to start putting it into practice!
ReplyDeleteGosh, you nailed it. I eat, sleep and breath my books. I literally fall asleep thinking about them, dream about it, and then wake up all still engrossed. Makes for a quirky, but fun life:)
ReplyDeleteI dreamed the first line of a story. I wrote it down, but haven't finished it yet. It went, "The cracker box yawned and a saltine jumped out." Odd, I know, but I couldn't forget it. lol
ReplyDeleteHope your dream is a little saner.
That sounds cool, dreams can be a great way to get story ideas. To bad my dreams as of late have been to strange for useful fiction ideas.
ReplyDeleteCongrats! on your dream/inspiration. I have so much going on right now dreams overload my senses. But I do love my dreams. Usually. Sometimes they freak me out as I delve deep into my past and my soul. But overall I welcome them.
ReplyDelete@Jenny, oh, I do a lot of thinking in the shower too! I love taking long showers, and I've come up with ideas that way as well. Maybe because showers can be so relaxing, I don't know.
ReplyDelete@Helen, that's what I need to put into practice too. Like many things, I keep saying I will, but then I don't end up doing it. Bad habit!
@Mark, that's a great way to put it, quirky, but definitely fun. :)
@Mary, I love that line! Makes me smile, and I know I would keep reading to see what it was all about.
@Claire, thanks! I'm sorry you've had such crazy dreams, I know how that can be.
@Stephen, thank you! I have had some freakish dreams too, but lately those have abated. Hoping they stay away as these dreams are a lot more fun.
I've written two things based on dreams. One was the addition of a character who ended up changed from the way she came to me in the dream. The other dream formed the basis of the plot for a different novel. And then that got all changed, too. So I don't have a good track record :)
ReplyDeleteDreams or pieces of dreams definitely influence my stories and novels. Someone above said it - take inspiration where you can! :)
ReplyDeleteMy writing seems to straddle genres, too, so I signed up for the Contemp/Mainstream Group(2) because that's the closest to all-encompassing for me. :)
@Carol, oh, that's funny both of your dream inspirations ended up changed. So far this one is working well for me so we'll see if that continues.
ReplyDelete@Madeline, great to meet you! You were smart to sign up for the Mainstream group, I think I got carried away with all the genres!
Julie,
ReplyDeleteAre you kidding? Not! I think the best plots come from dreams. In fact, my present contemporary WIP is from a dream. Just join the rest of us dreamers and go.
BTW, I'm in your contemp/mainstream group at the campaign. See you around. ; )
@Zan, oh, that's awesome your WIP came from a dream, I will come along and join you dreamers! :) Great to meet you, see you around as well.
ReplyDeleteYay! I can't tell you how many breakthroughs have just come to me when I left a little space in my brain for the ideas to play around. Good luck with jumping back into your WIP.
ReplyDelete@Shannon, thank you!!
ReplyDeleteHello from a fellow campaigner! I'm in the short story group.
ReplyDeleteMy current WIP actually came from a dream, so I totally know what you mean!
Samantha
Writing Through College
Fellow Campaigner just stopping by to say hi.
ReplyDeleteCan't say I've used a dream as a plot line. I'm usually dreaming up stories with my eyes open...because it's the only way I can remember ;)
Stobby
@Samantha, hi, it's great to meet you! Looking forward to checking out your blog, and I hope we both have success with our dream-based WIPs!
ReplyDelete@Stobby, hi, thanks for coming by. LOL I usually have trouble remembering dreams too. Great to meet you!
Hi Julie! I popped on over here via Lisa Regan's blog, but I see that I'm already following. The only way I can keep track of who I am following is if you follow me back, then I add your blog to my blog roll. I don't want to miss your posts!
ReplyDeleteI understand you are participating in the platform building campaign in the thriller writer group. I was on vacation and so missed my chance to sign up, but I'm always interested in fellow thriller writers, especially women.
As for your post, why yes, my first book was based on a dream, or rather a nightmare I couldn't escape. Luckily, writing the book proved cathartic and I no longer have the dream, but I do have a nice story I hope to sell one day.
Hi Julie
ReplyDeletethaks for visiting my blog - good to meet another college librarian on the campaign trail (Ex-librarian in my case!) I think all plot ideas are good, wherever they come from! Best of luck
AliB
@AliB, thank you, so glad to meet you as well. Looking forward to seeing you around the campaign. :)
ReplyDelete@Nancy, I'm so sorry that I missed your comment earlier! Thanks so much for coming by, I just came back from your great blog. So glad to meet another thriller writer, thanks again!
ReplyDeleteDropping in to say hi from the thriller group. Today is such a free day, as opposed to tomorrow when I'm back at school. I love summer!
ReplyDelete@worddreams, oh, that's great you are in the thriller group! Looking forward to seeing you around, thanks for stopping by.
ReplyDelete