(no subject)
Dreams of a sexy but cannibalistic vampire-version of Jason Issacs, tempting corset-laden Helena Bonham Carter, a castle in the woods and an escape to a rustic cabin covered in protective wards against forces of evil--this is the kind of dream you're likely to have when you've been watching too many X Files and reading Dracula Undead, Harry Potter, and a fantasy novel all at once. Not that I'm complaining, mind you; it was a terrifying dream with absolutely no sense or plot, just simplistic images and tangible feelings--the kind you wake up from with a dizzy head and cold sweat on your chest.
I sincerely wish I could record and replay some of my dreams. Many of them are very story-worthy, if I could only hold onto their plots long enough to write them. Every time I sleep, I dream. It can be as simple as a twenty-minute nap; if I'm sleeping, I'm dreaming. I don't remember half, and I only remember a quarter for about an hour after they've happened. But there are a few that I recall fondly, even if the plot unravels at the seams the more I try to recall it.
A lot of writers talk about their bedside journals, because a lot of us get our best ideas in our sleep or as we lie awake trying to fall asleep. If I kept such a journal, it'd have to be waterproof. My best ideas come to me in the shower. I can't fathom why shower-time seems to allow me such deep contemplation, but it works. It's always been this way, I suppose. I remember playing in the tub as a little kid with my bath toys and Barbies, and I'd make up stories then as well. The only difference now is that I play with the characters in my head.
I think back on playing games as a kid--games that never involved remote controls, TVs, computers... sometimes not even toys. We had imagination, down to the nitty-gritty details like what colour our "mermaid hair" sparkled or what our superhero powers were. We'd draw entire houses out of chalk, including a toilet in the bathroom and decorative plants for the tables. I wish I could watch us as kids now. We spent endless hours playing everything from princesses to "Super Girls", and we had our own names and languages for everything. But there was also the worlds we didn't create but loved to play in anyway. Disney movies were always fodder for games, as was Harry Potter--even back then when HP mania was still in diapers.
This is probably why I like writing fiction; I've always liked "playing imaginary games", and that's essentially what fiction stories are. I can't even imagine what it would be like to get so lost in your own imaginary world that you come up with the things that Tolkien and JK Rowling have been able too, along with countless other fantasy authors. To do this, I'll need a good many hours, little distraction, and lots of motivation. After losing over 100 pages of my first fiction-fantasy work, I've had trouble endeavoring to write more than journals or short stores (or fanfiction). To date, this combination has yet to be found again.
I sincerely wish I could record and replay some of my dreams. Many of them are very story-worthy, if I could only hold onto their plots long enough to write them. Every time I sleep, I dream. It can be as simple as a twenty-minute nap; if I'm sleeping, I'm dreaming. I don't remember half, and I only remember a quarter for about an hour after they've happened. But there are a few that I recall fondly, even if the plot unravels at the seams the more I try to recall it.
A lot of writers talk about their bedside journals, because a lot of us get our best ideas in our sleep or as we lie awake trying to fall asleep. If I kept such a journal, it'd have to be waterproof. My best ideas come to me in the shower. I can't fathom why shower-time seems to allow me such deep contemplation, but it works. It's always been this way, I suppose. I remember playing in the tub as a little kid with my bath toys and Barbies, and I'd make up stories then as well. The only difference now is that I play with the characters in my head.
I think back on playing games as a kid--games that never involved remote controls, TVs, computers... sometimes not even toys. We had imagination, down to the nitty-gritty details like what colour our "mermaid hair" sparkled or what our superhero powers were. We'd draw entire houses out of chalk, including a toilet in the bathroom and decorative plants for the tables. I wish I could watch us as kids now. We spent endless hours playing everything from princesses to "Super Girls", and we had our own names and languages for everything. But there was also the worlds we didn't create but loved to play in anyway. Disney movies were always fodder for games, as was Harry Potter--even back then when HP mania was still in diapers.
This is probably why I like writing fiction; I've always liked "playing imaginary games", and that's essentially what fiction stories are. I can't even imagine what it would be like to get so lost in your own imaginary world that you come up with the things that Tolkien and JK Rowling have been able too, along with countless other fantasy authors. To do this, I'll need a good many hours, little distraction, and lots of motivation. After losing over 100 pages of my first fiction-fantasy work, I've had trouble endeavoring to write more than journals or short stores (or fanfiction). To date, this combination has yet to be found again.