Ever wake up in the morning and think “Wow – what a fantastic dream! That would make a terrific story – I’d better go start writing!” But then you get distracted by the day’s events and by the time you sit down at your computer in the late afternoon, you are dismayed to discover that the dream is gone. Poof. Or you make it to your notebook and begin writing, but realize that your dream is in a jumble.
After having this happen to me several times, I have finally figured out the steps to leverage my dreams in my writing. I don’t remember my dreams every morning, but when I do, this is my approach:
1. Upon waking, transcribe the dream from start to finish in as much detail as you can remember. Describe the settings thoroughly. Describe the people or “beings” in your dreams with as much detail as possible. Narrate the action of the dream. Include all of those fantastic (and embarassing) details that people would never believe. Also include those details you aren’t sure about, e.g., “I think I might have been flying at this point in the dream, but I’m not sure.” Once you’re sure you’ve captured everything that you remember, …
2. Tuck your description away and forget about it. How long? At least a couple of days, maybe a couple of weeks. This allows the dream to fade from your memory so what you’ll be left with is an objective view of the story rather than a jumble of muddled memories.
3. Pull out your transcription when you’re ready and read it all the way through. You’ll probably discover that the fabulous dream that you thought would make a great story is still interesting, but incomplete. Either the setting and characters are terrific but there’s no plot or vice versa. Often part of the plot will be very well-formed, but it’s not clear what the main character’s goal is. Without a goal, your story will fall flat.
4. Identify the gaps in your story and that’s where your writing process will begin. Remember that you don’t need to stay true to the original dream when you’re writing your story. Change whatever elements you need to in order to create a cogent, compelling story with a beginning, middle and end.
5. Just for fun, you can compare your finished story to the original dream transcription and see what elements you changed. You won’t want to or need to show anybody the original transcription – tuck it back away for safe keeping 
To clarify, I’m not talking about the concept of “lucid dreaming” where you know you’re dreaming and jump into the driver’s seat for your dream. Some writers have used lucid dreaming to discover new stories and explore their works-in-progress. This is an advanced technique and not for beginners
If you don’t tend to remember your dreams, then consider keeping a dream journal on your nightstand (this will help with step 1 above!). The simple intention to remember and transcribe your dreams can sometimes help you remember them better.
And, according to Native American tradition, you could consider investing in a dream catcher (as seen in the photo) which is said to capture the good dreams as they go floating by while you sleep.
So, have you written stories based on or inspired by your dreams? Please let me know what tips you have! Sweet dreams!
photo credit
In my Monday feature, “Inspiration Minute,” I’d like to share with you something that has caught my attention or inspired me recently. Be forewarned, it may take a bit more than a minute! 
