Not a lot of dreams make sense. Most of them, actually. Rarely do great story ideas come out of dreams, but it is possible. Sometimes you may dream about your already existing characters. There's a particular moment that happens in UL that came out of an alcohol induced dream I had. I never would have considered putting anything like it in the story but once I had that dream, everything seemed to fall into place.
Other times you may dream about random people you've never even seen before. And if it's interesting enough, maybe you can turn it into a story. I've actually never had this happen before, until a few nights ago, that is. I had an interesting dream and when I woke up I actually remembered all of it. I thought, this would make a great story! But then another thought hit me. What if I can't write it?
This particular idea is completely different than anything I've ever written before. It's kind of a mystery/thriller. I've never even thought about writing one of those. I really don't know if I could pull it off. But I guess it isn't the first time that a story idea seemed way out of my league. When you get an idea, sometimes you just have to run with it, no matter how scary it may seem.
I'm also considering writing it as a screenplay rather than a book, but I've also never done that before. I definitely want to, but maybe taking that on along with a genre I've never attempted may be a little too difficult. Then again, if I don't feel I can write a convincing novel for this particular idea, a screenplay may be easier, since dialogue usually is the easiest thing for me to write. I really don't know. I also don't want to take on a completely different story idea when I'm still working on something else.
I guess you never know if you can actually write something until you try. I've certainly learned that before. And I do always feel like my subconscious is one step ahead of me. So maybe I had this dream for a reason. Maybe I do need to write this story. Probably not for a while, but it's great to have an idea waiting for when I finish (or need a break from) my current projects.
Do you ever get story ideas from dreams? How do you tackle a genre that's completely new to you?
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So many of my story ideas have come from dreams. 30 Seconds is one of them. And several WIPs. And even more on my list of stories to write one day. I think its because my dreams are so vivid and I tend to direct them that makes them easy for me to craft them into stories.
ReplyDeleteI tackle a new genre by reading books in that genre and really just diving in head first. :)
Dreams can be great inspiration! I have some pretty outrageous ones!
ReplyDeleteYes, I do sometimes. I've gotten four story ideas so far from dreams, and two I've written books around them. And some I just like to create stories in my head from, just for me for that day. =)
ReplyDeleteI had one story idea a long time ago come from a dream. I had just started writing, so the story had lots of plotholes, but I had fun with it.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, about 99% of my novel ideas come from dreams - quite often when I sit down to write them properly, I realise they won't actually work, but I love that thrill of waking up in the morning and scribbling it down regardless. I second Chrys' opinion - if I fancy trying something new, I'll read books and watch films in that genre (much like I do with the books I normally write!) and then just go for it :). You can do this!
ReplyDeleteI've included bits and pieces of dreams in stories, but they are difficult to figure out. I've never written a screenplay, but it sounds like a good challenge.
ReplyDeleteMy commercial debut originated from a dream I had. At the time, it was nothing more than an idea about a woman in debt who went into adult movies to pay it off.
ReplyDeleteFather Nature's Corner
My ideas for Polar Night came from a dream. I couldn't stop thinking about it and eventually it became the basis for the story. The screenplay idea sounds so exciting! I hope you will do it!!
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