The dream notebook.

Every writer has a notebook in hand, ready to jot down plot and character ideas. There are snippets of overheard conversation that spark an idea, bizarre bits of information that might sneak into a manuscript. Certainly there are carefully noted descriptions of places that will reappear somewhat fictionalized at a later date. It is a well known fact that even the very best idea ever conceived will not be remembered if left to the vagaries of the mind. After all, we’re all busy and the very best idea is often the one that is so unique it won’t pop into the forefront of your mind unaided.    But what of the dream notebook? The one that stays on the bedside table and records the fleeting bits of epic adventures created by a resting mind.  I don’t have a dream notebook, although I usually remember parts of a dream upon waking and often find them fascinating (although I think everyone thinks their own dreams are ready for prime time). For me, the time before going to sleep, and the time upon waking are not interesting for the half remembered dreams but ARE valuable for the more conscious, but free ranging, thoughts about my work in progress. This is when I find the path forward, freed from what I’d ‘decided.’ Without a notebook I wouldn’t remember these ideas! So…. I keep a notebook on my nightstand ready to catch them… and if a dream finds its way onto the pages, well, maybe it was a fascinating idea!

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