Writing Exercise 17: Using a Dream
Dreams can be a good starting point for creative writing but they rarely produce something complete. This is because dreams often involve strange jumps in location, the sudden and inexplicable arrival of familiar people, shifts from one kind of story into another and - worst of all - interruption at a crucial point when the dreamer wakes. However dreams can still provide useful raw material. Stage 1. Can you remember a dream or part of a dream you have had? If you can’t, invent a fragment of a dream - the stranger the better. Now start writing down your dream and when the dream runs out, keep writing. If you can’t think of anything else just write random words as they come into your head without worrying about sense. The important thing is that you don’t stop writing for at least ten minutes. Stage 2. Pause for breath - or a cup of tea. Then look over what you have written. You aren’t looking for complete elements of a story or train of thought - just words and phrases that sugge...