Monday, April 22, 2013

A-Z Blog Challenge: S is for Seeking Stories in Sleep by AJ Joseph


It's that time again!!!  Unwritten and some 1000 other blogs participated last year, and this year looks to be even bigger! Just like last year, I've opened up the blog to host 26 fabulous writers, with each day of the challenge representing the letters of the alphabet from A-Z. I've asked each writer to focus on something that is personal to them, so we can learn more about each other. 


Please check out some of the other blogs in the challenge here: 

S is for...Seeking Stories in Sleep 
by AJ Joseph

Many places and situations inspire the stories I write.

I could be in my car, stuck in a dreadful traffic jam, wishing I could teleport to my destination and a Sci-Fi story about the gross misuse of teleportation in the very distant future would emerge.

Or I could be in my garden wrenching out the weeds while swatting away pesky mosquitoes that somehow sensed the second I stepped outside my house and proceeded to converge, and a story about mosquitoes taking over my town would come into being.

But my best story ideas come to me when I’m on the verge of sleep or, when I’m drifting out from sleep.
Words would glide through my brain as I dozed off. It could be an amazingly insightful conversation between two friends. Or it could be a description of a character that I would’ve loved to have gotten to know better.  
When this happens, I’d debate if I should get up and write them down and risk not being able to go back to sleep (I’m a chronic insomniac).

Or just go back to sleep and hope that my not-so amazing memory would prove me wrong and I’d remember the words in the morning.

'Winter Dreaming' by Josephine Wall
Naturally, sleep would always win. And I’d never remember those amazing lines that could’ve been in an amazing story that I would’ve written.

As the sleep versus memory battle continued to wage on, and stories slipped through my fingers, I decided enough was enough.

That was the start of me bringing stationeries to bed.

Hence, my bed is littered with a journal, sticky and non-sticky note pads, pencils and pens in various colours (because I get bored writing with the same coloured ink).

Now, when awesome words makes its appearance known to me when I’ve turned out the lights and ready to depart to dreamland or when I’m reaching for consciousness in the morning light, I’m ready.

I’ve got pen and paper in hand (actually, under my pillow) ready to snag those words before they flit away. Gone are the days (and nights) of stories escaping me.

Sleep, bring on the stories.    

****
AJ is a bookaholic, semi-insomniac, unsuccessful recovering java-holic and most importantly, an aspiring writer. She's been in and out of writing almost all her life, trying to fit it in between work and travels. She's recently decided to give writing her all and is in the process of re-structuring her life around her first love - words. She blogs atwordsfromsonobe.wordpress.com.  

16 comments:

  1. I've had quite a few dreams that I later turned to stories. One that I didn't turn into a story yet was Heracles yelling at his father, Zeus with the Shakespearian line that is burned into my brain, "Your love for my mother is a hunter's dagger in the heart of a deer!"

    There was more, but the wording faded out before I woke up. It, however, led me to think I or someone else could do "Shakespeare's" Heracles.

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    1. Hi John - a story about Shakespeare's Heracles sounds awesome! Isn't it amazing how the sleeping mind is super-creative? :)

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  2. wonderful post. I have a notepad next to my bed, but I must say that a lot of my thoughts occur while I'm driving, which is all the time it seems. unfortunately, I can't jot them down while I drive so by the time I get to my destination, I've forgotten everything. so sad. I wish my ideas would come more to me at bedtime. :) visiting from your blog AJ. This is a great theme for A to Z Mysti.

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    1. Hi Jules! Nice to see you here! When I have potential story ideas while I'm driving, I change my route to one that has traffic lights so that when I'm at the red light, I quickly jot the idea down LOL My car is filled with notepads too...

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  3. Yep, dreams do bring the most amazing ideas. I've got so many notebooks in the drawer by my bed... always there, ready to be scribbled in first thing in the morning! In fact, I had the most amazing dream a few months ago. One that I will be turning into a novel in the next year or so! :D
    Suzy Turner, YA Author

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    1. Hi Suzy - Dreams are such an amazing source of stories. I had a dream a few nights ago about this amazing room, filled with light. It was so vivid that when I woke up, I immediately scribbled all the details down for a future story :)

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  4. Well gee, and I thought I was the only one who dreamed character names and plot twists. Fortunately, I do have a good memory and good recall of my dreams; unfortunately, I don't dream often anymore.

    I enjoyed your post. You touched on a topic close to all of us.

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    1. Hi Leona - I guess there are more of us out there who find inspiration for our stories in dreams than we thought :) It's great that you can recall your dreams instead of having to rely on notepads to quickly jot them down before they dissipate.

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  5. I keep paper beside the bed. And in my purse.

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    1. Hi Taiya - that sounds like what I do too...I've got notepads practically everywhere - in all my bags, in the car, in other people's car :D

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  6. I like to write down my ideas on my phone on a notepad app, but I think I am going to put some paper next to my bed to capture more details of my dreams. I have a LOT of dreams. Wonder what might show up if I open myself up to receiving ideas this way??

    SiouxsiesMusings

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    1. Susan, I prefer to handwrite the ideas I receive through dreams down as opposed to using an app. You should try it, you'd be pleasantly surprised by your subconscious :)

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  7. Ideas come to me in the shower. For some reason, I forget everything the minute I step out of the bathroom. Hmm...

    Can't wait to read one of your drifting-off-to-sleep-inspired stories :)

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    1. Actually, I get inspiration from the sounds of water falling too :) Unfortunately, I can't capture the idea quick enough as well unless I get one of those underwater notepads thingy LOL

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  8. Sounds just like me!! I am also Blogging A to Z.

    http://www.AMomsPointOfView.com

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    1. Hi Kimmy! So nice to know that we aren't devoid of sources of inspiration... :)

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