Once upon a time I woke having dreamt a fairy tale. The images were vivid, I could remember it and knew not to sit up because I’d lose it. Lying still, yet feeling tingly all over with excitement, I retold and reran the ‘film’ in my head over and over to make the pathways of memory with my synapses in my brain before I slowly sat up reciting it and carried on recalling the pictures whilst running downstairs. Sat at the computer typing rapidly trying desperately to keep the memories of every word, every picture. Did I capture it? Yes, some, not all, of it.
What became of this story and was it any good? If you read my N you’ll guess I’m still editing it. It became a story within the novel I was writing at the time. One of the characters was a writer yet in his spare time wrote fairy tales for a younger member of the family which were only discovered by others after his death. The storyline of him writing the fairytales came before I dreamt the fairytale.
It’s got a castle, knight, princess and dragon in it as well as thick bushes which are impassable and a dangerous forest.. and it all turns out happily ever after.
Have you remembered dreams which were then part of your novels? Do you keep notes of dreams you have and analyse them? What’s your ‘Once upon a time’ story?
My AtoZchallenge posts are about writing, parts of my novels or some research I need to do for them. I’m not allowing myself to write about anything other than topics linked to the books, my books. The current titles that I’m writing about are ‘Bags’, ‘Holiday stories’ and ‘Dream Gardener’.
lynnelives 
Nice Post. I dream and I keep a recorder by my bed, and I take notes and I write them down. Especially when they come as strongly as your dream. You can’t do anything else, but write them down before they are lost in the recesses of your mind, never to be recalled again. I loved your post.
Thanks Kathy. I have notebooks next to my bed but seem to forget they’re there when something like this happens..
One of the stories I’m editing right now was inspired by a dream. I woke up with the idea and hammered out 10k words in a few days.
I’m sure we’re not the only ones either. Thanks for the comments Patricia.
I have nightmares about my novels. Not pleasant.
ooh! Sorry for bringing up those memories Damyanti!
I remember a dream where it was raining inside a house and it was all flowry and a diff world 🙂
nice dream u had
Thanks. Lots of my dreams have been about flying and floating around places.
I once had a dream, a dream that I’d never forget for it was so spooky. It was a warning of what was to come in my life. And when it did, I can’t help but wonder what is it that warns us, that protects us, can’t shake off those goosebumps.
Ooh.. spooky.. We may never know yet each of us will have beliefs which may explain things like that for us.
Like you, I struggle to ‘catch’ the dream properly unless I immediately write some of it down – usually in to the notepad on my phone that I keep by the bed. I’ve had a few short stories and lots of song ideas like this. Most of my ideas actually come to me just as I’m about to fall asleep or just as I am waking. Seems to be when I am most in touch with my subconscious and not trying to be creative. Good post Lynne.
Thanks Wayne. Seems most of us use those semi awake phases and lots have ways to ‘catch’ the ideas by the bed!
I now sleep with a notebook and pen to jot down those dreams I want to remember! Great post – love that the A to Z challenge is taking me to blogs outside my own genre that I would not normally think to visit!
There are so many notepads near my bed but when ‘the’ one gets remembered I want to get downstairs and type it out immediately! Thanks for the kind comments!
I agree, it’s great meeting and visiting new bloggers!
I often have dreams that as soon as I wake up I think will make amazing stories. But too often they disappear before I get out of bed or the snatches I remember make absolutely no sense in the light of day. I like your method of lying still and replaying it over and over. I’ll have to try that next time.
Hope you’re having fun with the A to Z challenge,
Jocelyn
I am, thanks Jocelyn
Great post! I get a lot of my ideas from dreams. Often I can’t remember the details, or I don’t want to use them, but the feelings and emotions linger, and make it into the novels in some form.
Rinelle Grey
Thanks Rinelle, good idea to use the feelings and emotions of your dreams. They seem stronger and easier to tap into sometimes.
Good luck with your novel…and here’s to more dreams,
Thanks Rosanna. That fairytalke dream was unusual for me but I do dream a lot.
Lovely to have written a book about a dream.
Thanks Anne.
I have lots of dreams most are really bizarre and thankfully I do not remember most of them.
http://www.shirleyisnotmyname.blogspot.com
Those were the ones i like analysing. So long as they’re not scary, I don’t like those dreams and rarely get them.
When I have a good dream I am always afraid of forgetting it soon after. The few I remember were just odd ones.
Looks like lots of people do the same as me and have dream notebooks next to the bed. Capturing the theme, colour, main events and how you felt before you sit up helps.
I remember having a dream once that seemed like it was juicy enough for a story, but I didn’t get it written down quickly enough. I do dream often, and I love to analyze my dreams. I find dreams are a very rich source of information about what’s happening in my subconscious. I enjoyed your post.
SiouxsiesMusings
Thanks Susan. I’m glad there’s others who find dreams as fascinating as I do.