Dreams as inspiration
This is nothing new, I know, but I think it’s quite interesting that dreams can be inspiration for fiction.
In my case, it’s happened a couple of times already. Once, it was a horrible nightmare (which might not sound quite as horrible if I recounted it), that turned into a short horror story (which is extremely rare for me – normally, I neither read nor write horror).
In fact, thinking back, I think most of my ideas based on dreams, have been horror or at least scary. One reason might be that those dreams stand out, which makes me remember them.
On the other hand, I once had what was (at least when I woke up) nothing more than a scene, but that one scene turned into a fantasy story. I can still remember how it felt to be ‘there’ – where I witnessed the scene. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to work all that into the story, but I was quite happy about it anyway.
I know exactly what you mean. Sometimes, I have dreams that is a scene before the climax that hints the story as well as the climax. I write them down in a book. If we are anything alike, then I suggest that you do the same so we won’t forget them. Dreams are manifestations of our imagination. It is when we dream, we unlock our minds and we come up with something truly special, a pure creation.
Ceylan
Yes, I do write them down. Occasionally, I write the entire short story the same night, rather than trying to go back to sleep. I’ve also found that just before I fall asleep I can get good ideas. It’s as if all the pressures of the days are gone and my mind is free of stress, tension, worry etc and is able to produce creative ideas.