Ever had ideas that came to you in a dream?

BlueLucario · Mar 20, 2009

Has anyone ever had any ideas that came to you in a dream? Last night I just had a weird moment. I dreamed that a military sergeant came to my house and told my parents that I was selected to attend their school in Korea. Where no one is really knows that they will turn you and other selected students into Androids which will be used against the American government.

(I'll explain more of this stuff in the Sandbox.)

That was the coolest dream I ever had. When I woke up, I just completely froze in my bed. Thinking that this could be the one perfect story.

Ever had an idea that came to you in a dream?

narnia · Mar 20, 2009

I would respectfully disagree that most writers get their ideas from Hollywood. I have 10 works-in-progress and none of them were inspired by Hollywood. First, I've never been there

, and second, I have not set foot in a movie theater in 3 years (too busy). Or maybe I am just different!

Seriously though, I have had numerous conversations with and listened to talks by many high-profile authors and I don't recall any of them ever mentioning Hollywood as their source of inspiration, most mentioned a passing comment, a news item, something they witnessed that sparked an idea, among other things.

To answer your question, yes, one of my wips is based on a dream I had about 20 years ago, which is still fresh in my mind.

:Sun:

blueobsidian · Mar 20, 2009

I don't regularly get ideas in dreams, but rather in that moment right before I fall asleep. Either way, I've taken to leaving a notebook in my room so that I can jot down anything interesting before I lose the idea!

Mr Flibble · Mar 20, 2009

Yes, often

And what makes you think most writers get their ideas from Hollywood?

Cybernaught · Mar 20, 2009

That's an odd statement, since most Hollywood productions are novel adaptations...

Zipotes · Mar 20, 2009

A lot of my ideas come from dreams. Even when I already have a WIP, dreams give me fresh ideas all the time.
Most of my romance ideas come from personal fantasies...I have a lot.

Michael Davis · Mar 20, 2009

All the time. My short SF story THE TREASURE was a dream, plus much of the storyline for my novel FORGOTTEN CHILDREN came from a dream. The sleeping mind must not do bad cause that one was nominated as best suspense of 2008. A lot of the scenes for all my stories have come from dreams. I think that's because I lie there at night and script problems run through my head, then after I fall asleep, a new scene or solution comes to me as a dream. Just figured I was weird.

tehuti88 · Mar 20, 2009

Yes, I get ideas from dreams. However, not usually in the same way. I don't tend to dream up an idea and then think, "That would make an awesome story!" (Even though I do think many of my dreams, if tweaked appropriately, could indeed make awesome stories.

I just don't have it in me to tweak them.) Instead, I often incorporate dream imagery into my stories by giving the dreams to my characters, tweaking the meaning of the dreams so that it suits their circumstances. My stories tend to focus a lot on dreams, so it makes sense to me. (I try not to randomly toss dreams in there without reason because that would just be stupid. The dreams have to serve the plot.)

I also once came up with a name in a dream--Dakh Natha--which, oddly enough, means "Dreamrender" (as in one who brings nightmares).

Your dream reminded me of an old one I had where the high school I attended, at night, turned into a school for vampires or something, so you didn't want to get caught there at night. *LOL* I have an entire dream journal full of these things. Lots of story fodder. Perhaps if I ever figure out a way to write non-series stories, I'll start writing ones based on my dreams because there's a slew of idea material in my head at night.

Quossum · Mar 20, 2009

Oh, sure. I've had several good ideas come to me in the guise of a story-dream.

I'm also into dream interpretation, so I usually try to look beyond the story to what my subconscious was trying to say, but hey...sometimes a great story is just a great story.

--Q

unicornjam · Mar 20, 2009

Nope. I rarely remember my dreams and the ones I do remember aren't stories worth telling.

seun · Mar 20, 2009

I get dream ideas and falling asleep ideas a lot. Most of them are rubbish. My last completed story came from a friend's dream so they do have some use.

Matera the Mad · Mar 20, 2009

I have gotten the impression that a too-large percentage of younger writers get too much inspiration from Hollywood. That can influence dreams a lot too.

I often have dreams that I could base a plot on, but I don't write horror. One dream last year would have been more help with a WIP if I could have remembered, after I woke up, exactly what stampeded the mammoths. It was fun though.

basilsands · Mar 20, 2009

I've had all three of my current novels come to me via what I would call a "waking dream". Actually they were more like images that popped in during the middle of the day and once fleshed out they become something rather more.

But, the story that got my whole writing thing started did come directly from a dream. That story has yet to be written in more than outline, because the dream was so vivid and the story so detailed that I want to make sure I know how to write really, really well before I even attempt to put the dream to paper.

It was a dream that seemed to go on all night. It dealt with kingdoms in Mongolia, China and Koryo (modern Korea). By the time I fully awoke I had images of ancient Israel, Ireland, and Europe flitting about my mind as well. I don't know how much of it came as full dream and how much in the borderlands of awake and asleep but in fifteen years it hasn't left my mind. And one day soon will see the light of day. Think Braveheart meets Mongol meets Masa over a 2000 year storyline.

All that in one night of dreaming.

Oh, and by the way Matera...the dream came before any of those movies were made

Lady Cat · Mar 20, 2009

Zipotes said:
A lot of my ideas come from dreams. Even when I already have a WIP, dreams give me fresh ideas all the time.
Most of my romance ideas come from personal fantasies...I have a lot.

Obviously Zipotes is able to tap into the subconsciousness of others. This is almost exactly what I was going to say.

I also keep a note book and pen on my night stand. I once read somewhere that if you don't recall your dream within 30 seconds of awakening, it's gone forever.

basilsands · Mar 20, 2009

I subscribe to the theory that if you 'do' remember the dream by lunch time (or six hours after waking) it has meaning or purpose.

And if you remember it years later, you had better have it written down somewhere because its going to be on the test.

Pagey's_Girl · Mar 20, 2009

The weird dream that opens my current WIP is a Nyquil-induced nightmare I had once while batting the Cold From Hades.

semilargeintestine · Mar 20, 2009

My current WIP is inspired by a dream, and in fact I'm going to take a few of the scenes I can remember and use them exactly.

Viking Horse · Mar 20, 2009

I would say a majority, though not all of my ideas have come from dreams. Sometimes it is the whole thing, other times it is just a seed, but if I remember it when I wake up, I usually write it down and take a look at what I've got. Also, if I have a problem with a current story, I usually sleep on it, and the problem works itself out.

Mind you, it isn't perfect. Some stories that seemed quite grand in a dream ended up having a number of plot holes that I've had to overcome. Still, I've taken to having a bedside table stocked with fresh pens and legal pads.

BlueLucario · Mar 20, 2009

Okay, here's my full story idea.

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=135514

Matera the Mad · Mar 20, 2009

If my most memorable darkside dreams have meaning and purpose, I don't want to know what it is. If I am tapping into someone else's subconscious (and I know that I have, more than once) to get those, I don't want to know who!

The not-bad dreams that have the most significance to me don't lend themselves to storymaking, but I do use elements of them for my characters' significant dreams.

RobJ · Mar 21, 2009

Last night I dreamed that large objects, the size of small buildings, were falling gracefully from the sky and landing on the ground. I knew that they weren't spaceships, but I couldn't tell exactly what they were as they were too far away, though one was close enough that I could probably reach it in a few minutes.

I was very excited, because somehow I understood this meant that there was another form of life in the universe, they'd come to us, and they were going to be friendly. Not only that, but this was really happening, it wasn't a dream or a film, and OMG I was alive to see it. My kids were with me, and we were all cheering. It really was very, very exciting.

Then I woke up.

Of course, I feel foolish now. But if, later today, large objects the size of small buildings start falling out of the sky...

Cheers,
Rob

ishtar'sgate · Mar 21, 2009

BlueLucario said:
Ever had an idea that came to you in a dream?

Yes, a real creepy idea for killing off the bad guy in my novel. I used it.

Fade · Mar 21, 2009

I do get lots of story ideas from dreams, and I use those. Once, the reverse happened: I wrote a lot for every day of the week and then I dreamed about my characters.

Ever had ideas that came to you in a dream?

BlueLucario

Blood Elves FTW

narnia

blueobsidian

Mr Flibble

They've been very bad, Mr Flibble

Cybernaught

Decker

Zipotes

Michael Davis

tehuti88

Mackinac Island Fanatic

Quossum

unicornjam

seun

Horror Man

Matera the Mad

Bartender, gimme a Linux Mint

basilsands

Lady Cat

basilsands

Pagey's_Girl

Still plays with dolls

semilargeintestine

BassGirl 5000

Viking Horse

Devil in the Top Hat

BlueLucario

Blood Elves FTW

Matera the Mad

Bartender, gimme a Linux Mint

RobJ

ishtar'sgate

living in the past

Fade

The Captain of My Soul