Dream scenes

Getting the dream down on paper with a bit of 'editing'!

I have spoken several times about my dreams and how they contribute towards my creative writing. I had another instance this morning which I wanted to tell you about because I found it interesting in the way the mind works when sleeping/dreaming.

I woke around 4am to hear the birds waking up. I love listening to them but my main thought was, do I really want to get up at this hour? I was tempted to go down and make a cup of tea. In the end, I decided to try and get back to sleep and after a while, thankfully, I did. I'm sure I woke briefly a few more times but when I woke up properly straight out of a dream it was nearly 8.30am! Immediately, I ran the scene through my head again. The whole thing was very vivid and in colour. As soon as I got up I wrote what I could remember down but already I was asking questions, making notes of things to check. Why? Well, as I said this was a vivid dream and I saw potential in it, despite the fact that like in all dreams, there were some totally weird things happening.

I won't bore you with all of it, but I would say the action took place in a shop - on the second floor. How did I know that? Because one of the baddies - who was me - (this is a potential crime story) took the lift down two floors in order to escape the Police in the dream. While in the lift - and this is the interesting bit - I could feel all sorts of emotions and saw all the colours and I was saying to myself, I must remember this, how this feels, so I can write it down! The writer in me was mentally making notes as the scene unfolded.

The really stupid part of the dream came near the end when the character (me) had escaped and was hurrying across a level crossing. Coming towards me was a tiny bright red car, the size of a toy and came right out of the animated film Cars! Even more stupid the character and the car recognised one another and acknowledged each other. Then as the character got to the other side he realised (see I've even changed sex!) that the car was connected to the Police and it dawned on the character that the car would put two and two together and work it out. The character rushed off passing a shop holding a book auction (I think this is where I was tempted to go in! but the character dragged me away!). The last fragments was me, as the character, hurrying from street to street looking for somewhere to hide or go.

This was all too good to waste. It may never get used. It may form a scene in a short story or a novel. Maybe it will end up in a poem. There is stuff I can work with, exchange the silly parts for something real (in fact in my writing down of this dream I have already made some changes).

I love it when something like this happens. Dreams, while often mixed up and crazy, can offer some great nuggets and insights into the subconscious.

Sleeping so late put me right out this morning and the day is slipping away at great speed. I feel like I'm still trying to catch up but I wouldn't have wanted to miss this exciting dream. Who knows where and in what form it might appear one day!