I mentioned in a previous post that sometimes my writing ideas come from dreams. Well last night I had another inspiration. I have to first explain how these dreams work before I explain what happened in last night's dream. In these inspiring dreams, I am the main character and I am personally experiencing the storyline. However, I have to stress that they aren't actually happening to me, Tonya. I had to really explain this to my husband after I dreamed I had an affair. I, Tonya, am very happily married and completely in love with my husband. But in this particular dream, I (the main character of my dream) was completely unhappy with my marriage, and this fact was one of the reasons I had an affair. This is how I know that this dream is not about me and my subconscious, it is about one of my characters. (By the way, I completely expect men with straight jackets to arrive on my doorstep after people read this post!) I think these storylines happen to me personally because I need to feel the experience personally in order to write about it. The strange thing about these dreams is I don't necessarily know which of my characters I am dreaming about. It is kind of fun to have to figure this out the next morning.
Okay so last night it was a romantic dream. It was fun and exhilarating because it was a, oh my gosh, did he just hit on me? kind of moment. I was in college and I am talking to a young professor, maybe a graduate assistant. It is right after class and he and I are conversing like we are pretty good friends. I ask him if he is going to the game and he responds that football is not really his thing. Then I say that I am in the band and he says, "Yes I know. It is strange to me to see your beautiful hair all sweaty and stuck to her head after you have been in your uniform all night." I am completely surprised by this statement and then there is this moment of connection between the two of us. His eyes look at me and tell me that yes, he realizes what he just said and that he is, in fact, interested in me. And I look at him in a completely different way. All of a sudden, I realize that he has been admiring me this entire time of knowing each other. I am completely tongue-tied. I don't know what to say, so I say, "I don't know how beautiful it is. I pulled out a gray hair the other day." How funny is that? Now that last part is from my own experience because I pulled out my first gray hair when I was 20-years-old. Turning prematurely gray runs in my family (thanks, mom.)
I am not 100% positive who this dream was about, but I have a pretty good idea. And this is exciting because I haven't really expanded on this particular character very much up until now. I am also excited because this past week I have been completely blank when it comes to writing anything new. I have been focusing on organizing my family tree and editing what I have already written. And I also have been reading a lot. I see this as a perk to my "job." Reading and writing have an entanglement that is unbreakable, and so it is very important that I keep reading. And since I love to read, I don't object :)
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Just so you know, you're in my feed reader, so even though I rarely click through to comment, I'm reading every post! Keep them coming, this is fun! It's so very different from my desire to write-I'm a nonfiction girl for sure and would NEVER be able to form a fictional story line, lol. However, since I love reading/writing, it's very neat to experience a behind the scenes writing experience. Hmm, hope you know what I mean ;)
ReplyDeleteIt is good to hear my posts are enjoyable! I feel the same way about writing nonfiction! With fiction, I have full authority b/c it is all make-believe. Writing nonfiction sounds daunting to me. And just so you know I follow your blog through feed reader too!
ReplyDeleteTinkerbell, I'm so honored you shared this blog with me as a window to your soul. I think Mitch and I may have a hard time allowing your characters to emerge, but we'll have to release you so your creativity can soar! I'm immediately drawn to what you've written and want to read more. I see a depth in your writing that I've never seen before; and my initial thought is that your dream doesn't have to remain that, but can become a reality! Your writing will obviously be character-driven and less plot oriented, and I love that type of fiction, just like you do. I can't wait to see more! So write, sweetheart, write!
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