Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Silent Lucidity...Writing from Dreams



To accomplish great things, we must dream as well as act.
Anatole France (1844 - 1924)

Hope is a waking dream.
Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC), from Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers

Dreams that do come true can be as unsettling as those that don't.
Brett Butler, 'Knee Deep in Paradise'

To want to be what one can be is purpose in life.
Cynthia Ozick, O Magazine, September 2002

He felt that his whole life was some kind of dream and he sometimes wondered whose it was and whether they were enjoying it.
Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001), "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"

Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.
Edgar Allan Poe (1809 - 1849), "Eleonora"

The wisest men follow their own direction.
Euripides (484 BC - 406 BC)


Dreams are sifted reality, our mind's way of filtering through the thoughts we don't dare think during the day. ~ Alisha Paige


How do you come up with new ideas for your latest novel? I'm always curious to see what inspires writers. I'm a big dreamer..yeah, I dream big and I actually remember very vivid dreams. I've been known to wake up from a dream and jot down everything before I forget it. Have you done this?

Once I dreamed I was this teenage girl that moved to a new world (Early America) with my parents. I was very wealthy and our home was ready for us when we arrived, built with the best materials of the day. Servants were carrying my large trunk inside our new home. I watched from the windows, looking out at this foreign, new land as a very handsome man rode up on a horse. I'm watching all of this out the wavy oval glass of our front door. A bear approaches and the man pulls out a knife and spars with it. I gasp and know right then and there that I will marry this man one day. Then I woke up. Ahhh! How disappointing! I immediately wrote the dream down. I usually don't dream of other time periods. This was really odd.


Another night I dreamed I was the member of a wedding party. This is the weird part..my ex husband was there too. After the wedding, there was a huge party in this hotel and we were all staying in two adjoined, very luxurious hotel suites. It was late night and everyone had crashed. In my dream, I wake up when I hear voices, whispers really and doors creaking open. I look over the shoulder of the person sleeping next to me..again, this was highly odd....I don't make a habit of sleeping with a herd of people...and I see all these men coming in, posing as waiters in white coats, pushing room service trays. Very methodicallly, they go from room to room, executing people. They had come from the room adjoining where the bride and groom slept. I watched from the dark as they lifted sheets off of faces. Some they killed. Some they did not. When they finally, very quietly left, everyone is on their feet, screaming. The police are called and word spreads that the bride and groom are dead. I awake for real, shortly after and jot everything down. This dream was so real. I was shaking when I woke and remember the feeling of utter terror. I wrote the introduction to a story called Wedding Day Massacre but have not finished it. Maybe I'll dream the rest of it.

I had a very disturbing dream just a few nights ago. I was vacationing with all my family near NY. We rented a home on the water. It was summertime and we were swimming when we noticed all this debris blasting through the skies above her heads like there had been an explosion. There's total confusion and then we witness a hideous thing. The statue of liberty shoots way into the sky. Everyone is pointing and screaming. It was awful. I don't even want to write about that. **Shudder**



Dreams are fascinating. I remember once being terrified in a dream and I actually knew it wasn't real. I spoke to this ghost and said, "Hey, this is my dream. I'm in control, not you." I stuck my tongue out at the phantom and she disappeared. I always have ghost dreams. Very strange.

I never dream about werewolves or vampires and I write about shapeshifters. Why is that? Has anyone out there studied dreams? I really should read more about them. In my opinion, they are our thoughts sifted. In other words, the stuff we think about but don't dare admit. Who dreams about your ex boyfriend or ex girlfriend? Hey, I don't share these with Michael. I think those dreams are about unresolved issues...maybe things we should have said to the other person...for closure. They seem to be for me at least.

What about when you dream about someone you loved who has died? Now I'm not convinced those are real dreams. I think they're REAL, but that's another topic all together.

Do dreams help you come up with new ideas? I'm dying to hear about your dreams!



Happy Reading and Writing
~Alisha

6 comments:

mamabear said...

Well, the first dream may have been a past life memory recall! Sounds like it to me.
I believe that dreams of people who have passed are really visits from them. I have not dreamt of my mom, but she has given me signs that she made it ok :).
My book did start out as a dream...I never told anyone about that. The heroine in the book is not me, though. She is comprised of many women who have touched my life.
I think that some dreams may be what you say...our thoughts sifted, but I also feel that sometimes answers to our current problems come up in dreams and sometimes people that are in it, ex's for example are actually symbolic. For example, could this problem have occurred before in the relationship with the ex? Is the resolution there? Is this ex there causing conflict...could the ex be symbolic of the issue? I don't want to turn this into a blog, LOL. There is lots more I could say on the subject!

Alisha said...

Wow..you hit on many fascinating points. I agree with you about dreams of dead people we love. I too believe they are visits. I know many people that have experienced this. Interesting thought that the first dream could be a past life. It seemed very, very real and familiar. And like I said, I never dream I'm stuck in other time periods like that. It's possible the statue of liberty dream could have come from my anxiety over watching videos about 9-11 a few weeks ago after the anniversary. The ex theory too is interesting and makes sense. You seem to know quite a bit about dreams. Please, please tell me more. I don't mind if you want to turn this into a blog. In fact, I'd be willing to give up my weekly blog space for you to go into more detail if you can fit it into your writing schedule. Email me if you'd like to do that. alishapaigewilson@yahoo.com. I truly think dreams help us with our writing. Another way to expand the mind. Thanks for commenting! I'm glad you're here!
~Alisha

Sierra Wolfe said...

I rarely dream at night. When I do, it's usually only the nightmare type. Probably why I write paranormal, lol.

StillTas said...

I'm always dreaming. Usually about some unfiltered issues in my life. Recently I dreamed an erotic of my husband and me lying in bed. His kisses were everywhere, and it was soo soft and sweet and hot. I dreamed this early in the morning and felt my body respond to the dream. I was aware of my own body's response while still dreaming, and my choice of enjoying the response or shutting it down. I chose to enjoy it. As I went back to focus on the kisses and the feelings in my dream, my husband in real life had begun to kiss me and it was as if I'd moved from my dream world into the real one with my husband truly in both places. I woke up making love with my husband much the same way as my dream. whew! That was real nice!

Alisha said...

Lordy, Tassy! That was smokin! You're making me miss my honey even more! He's working out of town in San Antonio.

Now....THAT IS MY KIND OF DREAM! DAMN!

Okay, now ya'll are going to crack up but when I was like 18 or 20 or so...I had an erotic dream about Jon Bon Jovi. He was making love to me outside and he wore this cross necklace that kept tickling me on my breasts as we moved together! Talk about hot!! Wooo...okay, now I need a cold shower...or my husband to come home FAST!

Okay...stop laughing!!! All of you! Stop it! Mark!!! Stop it! LMAO!

Mark Alders said...

LOL

Me no laugh :-D

I have erotic dreams all the time; most have a lot to do with sweet things like chocolate! Mmm wonder why?

LOL

*hugs*

Great post, Alisha!

Mark.

Wicked Thorn and Roses © 2008. Design by :Yanku Templates Sponsored by: Tutorial87 Commentcute
This template is brought to you by : allblogtools.com Blogger Templates