Wednesday
Wednesday Flash Writing: From Where You Dream
The other night, I dreamt of narwhal seals, giant beasts with horns protruding into the air. Millions of them filled a beach, and I stood before them. At the top of each horn, there were masks of men’s faces. The masks bobbed up and down, and the pressure in the dream forced me to make my way through the crowd of seals, searching for a suitor, for true love.
This might sound like it has nothing to do with writing flash. Just a weird dream, right? But using a dream as a writing prompt could lead to something beautiful.
Best bets:
- When you wake up, jot a couple notes down about the dream.
- Think about what had the most impact on you. Was it an image? An emotion? Was the dream surreal? Life-like?
- As you write, it helps to leave out the cliché parts of the dream and focus on the most intense. Capture how the dream felt so the audience can feel it, too.
Stripped down, a dream is a subconscious concept, a way for your brain to play. Using those dreams as prompts can be a way to try something new, create something stirring and even break out of a writing rut, if you find yourself in one.
About the Author
Sarah Rose Etter earned her BA in English & Publishing from Penn State University. She's currently finishing up her MFA at Rosemont College. Her work has appeared in The Baltimore Review, The Menda City Review, and The Delinquent. Her work has also been performed in London, by the Liars' League.
posted on 10 Dec 2009, 12:10 PM
I love the idea of the 'pressure of the dream' as in
"the pressure in the dream forced me to make my way"
I think most of writing comes from, in the final cause, the pressure of those dreams, whether they are narwals or other.
As a writer that dream-pressure, the ideas bearing down on you, is constant, the idea, of course, is to catch it, and remembering and engaging your dreams is a great touchstone.
Do you write your dreams down when you wake up?