Nightmares

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Tilly

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Do you ever freak yourself out so badly you give yourself nightmares while you're working on something?
 

Pike

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Oh ya...

I live out in the country, away from the bright lights that cover the city streets and background noise that persists in large, urban areas. I live around racoons that fight on my roof top, or the occasional cougar that stalks deer in my backyard. So, after a long writing session, when I wander into the bathroom to brush my teeth before bed I look out the back window into the black void the envelops my yard. I hear the sway of the trees from a light breeze, the chirp of chipmunks running loose among the branches, then a crack of a dead limb and all noise stops. That's when my head starts playing evil tricks on me and I scrub my teeth like a pneumatic paint mixer, until my gums are sore and my arm tires. I spit and rinse as quickly as possible before something sticks its snout against the flimsy screen dividing me from the unthinkable stalking my backyard. My wife asks what the hurry is as I dive into bed and I tell her because I love her. She doesn't always buy it.

Yes, writing can really amp up one's fright or flight responce mechanisms. Writing, what a rush.
 

sharra

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I usually write about my nightmares, so it's more like vice versa. I have managed to give someone else nightmares though. I thought it was brilliant - it meant the story worked.
 

BlackCrowesChick

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sharra said:
I usually write about my nightmares, so it's more like vice versa. I have managed to give someone else nightmares though. I thought it was brilliant - it meant the story worked.

Same here about the vice versa thing. I've written about a nightmare before. I remember as soon as I woke up, I thought that it would be a good idea for a story. Don't know if I've given anyone else nightmares, not as far as I know. Its a good goal, though..
 

Tilly

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Wow, giving someone else nightmares!
 

bsolah

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I haven't had nightmares in a long while. And the dreams I have, I barely remember, unless they're really vivid.

I did have this one nightmare when I was about five that I can still remember. I wrote a short story based on it and it's one of my favourites.
 

Jcomp

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Alas, of the many nightmares I've had, none have been sponsored by a story I created, although I have had nightmares that inspired stories...
 

Tilly

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I get nightmares a lot (which probably has something to do with what I write :D) but I was surprised when what I'm writing crept into a few.

I want to steal the dreams of those who get to write stories from them. Mine are useless for that.
 

Lee_OC

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I have really vivid dreams, but I rarely have nightmares. A lot of my recurring dreams involve me doing something mundane like working or hanging out with friends. I know...booooring.

Ah, but I have had "nightmares" about being back in school. Ugh...exams. *shudder*
 

Outlaw

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Sadly, I don't have nightmares. I dream from time to time, but I think I have become numb to being scared. Seriously, nothing really phases me anymore. I think the last book that spooked me was Stephen King's 'Bag of Bones'. Sad, isn't it?:)

Anyway, I'm new to this section. I started out posting in the Novel Writing area and since then I have been frequenting another writer's forum, where I have been honing my skills on short stories. I hope to hang around here more, as I am always looking to better myself and my writing.
 

breena

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I also have very vivid dreams and many nightmares. Sometimes it takes until mid morning to shake the feeling of the dream, if it's a bad one. One dream I had did spawn the idea for my first book, though I have never had a horrific dream because of something I've written.
 

Carole

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Jcomp said:
I have had nightmares that inspired stories...
breena said:
I also have very vivid dreams and many nightmares. Sometimes it takes until mid morning to shake the feeling of the dream, if it's a bad one.
Me too. I dream vividly, sometimes to the point where I have to get up and turn on the lights and the TV to shake myself out of it. I can't remember the last time I dreamed and it wasn't a nightmare, though.
 

NightWynde

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I knew I had a good scene when my husband came home and griped at me because every light in the house was on. tee hee.

As far as nightmares inspiring stories? Kinda, but I've found that these tales don't go the distance, at least not for me.

I had one years ago that had to do with corpses being tossed into the town's water's supply because they ran out of room to bury them. Then there was this whole thing about poisoned zombies that got really weird. I've always wanted to write that one out, but I could never get it to make any sense.
 

brainstorm77

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Not so much when i am writing but i have had some pretty awful nightmares.
 

Jcomp

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Carole said:
I dream vividly, sometimes to the point where I have to get up and turn on the lights and the TV to shake myself out of it.

I have those as well. Dreams where I wake up & it feels like the dream followed me into the real world, & if the room's dark I can't escape. I hate those. I once had a dream in which I met with some sort of sleep demons that eat a little piece of your soul every time you go to sleep. When I woke up in the middle of the night, still dog tired, I was convinced that if I went back to sleep they would kill me because I knew their secret. That was one of my all time worst...
 
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