Thursday's thing to love about being a writer (a bit late!)

Sorry for delay--but I have a new thought on what's to love as you start your week. This week's thing to love: dreams, especially dreams that relate to story.

I cultivate story-inspired dreams. I'm not the first to do so--Nancy Lamb espouses "creativity naps" in her book The Writers Guide to Crafting Stories for Children. When I'm stuck on a plot point; when my writing becomes stiff; when my characters stop sounding real--I'll find a cozy spot in the sun and lie down with pen and notebook in hand. (Well, okay, sometimes I hug the notebook like a teddy bear. To each their own....) The I close my eyes and daydream. I "play the movie" of the story I'm writing, backing up the scene a little and watching events unfold.

It's a wonderful tool. As I reach that magical place between sleeping and waking, I start to hear the characters take off on real conversations. That's when inspiration always hits, too: I'll be just about to drift off and I'll realize that, of course, Chirp shouldn't return to the stable but should wander the streets all night. Or--of course, Alex has tell Tad that the bear is real, which opens up that new subplot I needed.

Even if I don't get some grand plot revelation, I usually glean details about the scene's setting, its flow, and the the characters' movements and voices.

Of course, the best ones come just as I'm most relaxed, ready to melt into the sunny patch on my carpet--but writing is worth waking up. Usually!

~Cheryl