Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Lost Thoughts: to Sleep Perchance to Dream

I know I'm not the only one: because so many ideas are unleashed at night, I keep a journal beside my bed. Sometimes the nighttime scrawl is illegible, but the idea is to make sure I don't lose anything. After all, those piercing images lose their sharpness after a night of conked out sleeping.

Last night, I'm fairly certain I solved every plot challenge known to man. In fact, that one missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle spun Matrix-like in the air a few breathless moments before plunking perfectly into place, completing my latest WIP conundrum. Like a flash flood, everything else that I didn't even know was missing crashed into place. It was glorious. It was spectacular. It was a dream.

Nothing is scribbled in my journal. No scrap of detail is left floating in my authorial stew this morning. There is nothing but a wispy, fleeting sense of euphoria. I had it all. I held it all. My hands are now empty.

2 comments:

Lisa Damian said...

I know exactly what you mean. I also keep a journal by my bed, and a large percentage of my story ideas, characters, and/or scene details are captured directly from my dreams and nightmares. Writing them down is by far and away the best means of capturing those fleeting images before they dissolve away, and my dream journal is now one of my most treasured possessions.

Anonymous said...

Keee-rist I hate it when I do that. And if you're like me, you never do remember whatever it was. Argh, I feel your pain. The journal is on the floor next to the bed, all I have to do is reach down and grab it. If only had a nickel for every idea I was too tired or lazy to write down and thought "I'll remember THAT!"