The First Month: The Difference Between Do-Able Dreams and Silly Slumbers

Hi, sorry I haven't been posting in a while. I have little to none WiFi access over my spring break. (Let's see if I can get this post done before the WiFi shuts down completely).


Reminds me of a band I was in for camp two summers ago, The WiFi is Down

(My guitar is like the one to the left. My beautiful PBTeen Cocoa Striped baby.)

Anyway, away from my past rocker life (I must admit, though, it's pretty cool, I even got a gig at a famous bar/restaurant in town).

*Ahem*

Anyway, let's discus the difference between a Do-Able Dream and a Silly Slumber.

Dreams are some of the most fascinating things we humans (though I've also seen my puppy run and bark in her sleep) do. They are also some of the most mysterious things. Scientists still don't know much about them, but one thing is clear. Dreams, are some of the best sources for ideas we have. 

So have you ever had a dream, so awesome you can't ignore? It's calling you to write and turn into the next bestselling multi-million dollar teen novel? 

If you have, you're like hundreds of other people out there. Which include Stephanie Meyer. So it is possible to turn a dream into a bestseller, but at the same time it can turn your plot into a not-so-sweet nightmare. 

So how can you tell if your dream is a soon-to-be bestseller or a waste of your time? Here are the few key signs of both.

How long it is?

Do-Able Dreams will often be just a glimpse of an idea, lasting a few minutes before your attention turns to a dancing raisin on a kayak your long-lost cousin rented just for St. Patrick's day. Stephanie Meyer's glimpse was of a beautiful child, sparkling in a green meadow. 

While Silly Slumbers will be either way too long or way too short. If you find yourself typing up all the ideas from your dream and none of your rational ideas while your awake, that's a sign of a bad dream. At the same time, if your only taking the fact that your character was wearing a purple shirt into your story, well, it's good you found some inspiration, but if you accidentally incorporate the rest of the dream into your story it might end up like a mess. 

Does it make sense? 

This one is an obvious. If you have dancing raisins on kayaks that your long-lost cousin rented just for St. Patrick's day, it's not going to work.

Is it true to what you write?

This touches base on the find your genre thing we were discussing before. If it's not a genre in or around your comfort zone, I'd hold off until you have more experience. 

That's all for today! 

-C