...but I'm not the only one. Some people say they never dream when they sleep, and I've read that isn't true: Everyone dreams many times every night (the average dream lasting only 3-5 seconds) but we remember so few (or none) of our dreams because they're sent straight to our short-term memories. Unless you do something like write the dream down or share it with a friend to transfer the information to your long-term memory, that dream is gone and you may never remember having it at all.
I've done a lot of thinking and even a little writing about dreams over the years--what dreams mean, why I always have the same ones, how to avoid really scary ones...I wonder if this is a topic that is interesting to you? I've heard that it's really fun for us to talk about our own dreams but it isn't all that fun for everyone else listening? I'm not sure anyone really wants to know about my recent dream regarding my neighbor in the buff drinking coffee in his backyard or the one where I'm sorting through tornado rubble in only a towel. :)
I have a couple of recurring dreams, meaning dreams I have had several times throughout my lifetime, and I have to say they are mostly bad, or at least very uncomfortable. I often dream that I am still in high school and I have a volleyball game or track meet to go to and I'm not ready. I've either forgotten my uniform or shoes or I can't remember going to any practices beforehand to train. I haven't played high school sports for 20 years...why would this keep showing up in my subconscious? Another dream I've had a lot (although not in quite a while, now that I think of it) is that my teeth are really chalky and they're crumbling out of my mouth, or they're all loose and if you tapped one they'd all fall out in a sort of domino effect.
I've read that you're likely to have nightmares if the room you are sleeping in is very warm and if you sleep with your arms above your head...I wonder what conditions make for more pleasant dreams? Do you think that what you have in your head right before you fall asleep will come out in your dreams, or do the littlest things from earlier in the day somehow pop up? Do you think you can control your dreams? I have a friend who is into "astratravel," which is, very simply, being able to will yourself to go places in your dreams. She said she could think about checking in on her cousin before she fell asleep and then she'd dream something about her cousin that would let her know how she was doing. She also told me that if you ever see yourself in your dreams, like you're looking down at yourself from above (in video games isn't that the third-person view?) instead of seeing the dream through your own eyes (like first-person in video games?) that you have astratraveled without even trying. Interesting...
I hope you've also done some thinking about how dreaming can play into the writing process. Please post a brief but thoughtful comment on this post answering one or more of the following:
...a recurring dream you have
...the worst dream you've ever had
...the best dream you've ever had (PG-13 or tamer :) )
...what you think causes dreams
...books you've read about dreams or dreaming
...if you think dreams are symbolic or have deeper meaning
...what you found in the dream interpretation books
...if you think astratravel or lucid dreaming is possible
...your daydreams or your dream day chart
...your dreams for your future
...if you think dreams could inspire writing for you
...something else connected to dreams?
We are moving on to a new theme (BOOKS/TEXT) next week, so all work connected to DREAMS needs to be posted by the end of class on Friday, 23 September to receive credit. Use your grade check to see which posts you might need to catch up on today (just the ones connected to dreaming; it's too late to turn in the work on color). Circle anything you finished and need points for and leave your grade check for me. You should also have 5 new, full pages in your journal to be on track for the week. If you have free time you could leave a friendly comment on your friends' blogs...
We are moving on to a new theme (BOOKS/TEXT) next week, so all work connected to DREAMS needs to be posted by the end of class on Friday, 23 September to receive credit. Use your grade check to see which posts you might need to catch up on today (just the ones connected to dreaming; it's too late to turn in the work on color). Circle anything you finished and need points for and leave your grade check for me. You should also have 5 new, full pages in your journal to be on track for the week. If you have free time you could leave a friendly comment on your friends' blogs...
I think dreams are caused by things that we really think about before bed or things we do. If we think about a dance coming up there's a good chance that you will have a dream about it. If it's big on our minds it normally seems to be big in our dreams.
ReplyDeleteI think that dreams can be a great inspiration for writing. I know personally that when I wake up from a dream, I only remember part of the dream, and I try to recreate it in my mind. I think that if I could recreate it on paper, it could make a great story.
ReplyDeleteI have only one recurring dream. It starts with me being sent on a kill mission to get rid of some really rich guy, but then I found out that the guy was my best friend's real dad. I don't kill him, and then the mafia comes after me, and every time I wake up when the mafia catches me. I don't think it means anything, but it just gives me chills every time I wake up after that dream.
ReplyDeleteI think dreams are things we've thought about doing, having, seeing, etc. or things we want to do in the future. It could also be about our past. I think dreams are more real then what we think they are.
ReplyDeleteI think that some dreams do have a bigger meaning behind them but I also believe that their are little dreams that do not mean anything. I know that I have had dreams about my father before and I feel like there has to be meaning behind that. I have also had dreams about little things like falling off a cliff and that was it, and I do not see their being a meaning behind those.
ReplyDeletethe only recurring dream I have is when i wake up somewhere and there is no one there and I go out side and still can't find anyone and I really am alone not always nice to dream about maybe it's a way of saying don't think your alone.
ReplyDeletethe only recurring dream I have is when i wake up somewhere and there is no one there and I go out side and still can't find anyone and I really am alone not always nice to dream about maybe it's a way of saying don't think your alone.
ReplyDeleteI do think that my dreams inspire some of my writings, more often than not my writing is based on a dream I've had.
ReplyDeleteI think dreams are caused by stress, or very traumatic experiences. I think this way because dreams let us go into a virtual reality, and it takes our minds off of those things. When I'm stressed I dream really well, but I haven't dreamed in a long time because I haven't been stressed out at all. I wish I could dream though, because it feels super good. :/
ReplyDeleteDreaming about my future is the majority of dreams I have.It seems like when I can't sleep I think about long term and short term future goals that I have for myself.One day I hope my future dreams come true.
ReplyDeleteI think one way that causes dreams is how tired you are. For me I only have dreams when I'm really tired, which are not good dreams either. They are mostly bad dreams such as forgetting all my homework assignmnets at home, being alone in an abandoned house, or going through strange and scary obstacles.
ReplyDeleteOne of the worst dreams I've ever had was when I dreamed that a giant snake was eating me and my mom was laughing at me. I can definitely say that I'm afraid of both being eaten alive and my mom laughing at me.
ReplyDeleteThe worst dream I've had is I wake up and already I know something is wrong the house is lit up and the smell of my parents are faint. I walk to there room and the pain that my parents are gone hits harder than ever. I drop to the floor as the memory of my father's accident floods in. And before I know it I wake up in a cold sweat and the house is pitch black. I check my parents room and everything is back to normal.
ReplyDeleteFor me, I tend to dream about things that leave an impression on me. A deep one. My mind tends to twist and warp my memory turning it into a dream. I tend to be in a deep sleep.
ReplyDeleteI think astratravel and lucid dreaming are possible. These are very interesting things and would be fun to do sometimes.
ReplyDeleteMy daydreams usually end up being what I want to be doing, or the future.
I believe the dreams of a person say a lot about their subconscious. Dreams are who you are inside your own mind when no one else is watching.
ReplyDeleteI think dreams can bring inspiration for writing. I love being able to dream and only remember bits and pieces and trying to fill in the blank spaces in the dreams through writing.
ReplyDeleteI think dreams can bring inspiration for writing. I love being able to dream and only remember bits and pieces and trying to fill in the blank spaces in the dreams through writing.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I do not often remember my dreams. However, because of this I usually hone in on the ones that I do. My grandmother is an old, traditional Shawnee woman. She's well versed in dream interpretation, so I usually talk to her about the meaning of my dreams. What my dreams tell me often influence the decisions I make in my day to day life, and ultimately in my writing as well.
ReplyDeleteThe dreams that i do remember are the dreams that one day i will have a deja vu moment. Those dreams are my favorite.
ReplyDeleteI day dream about peaceful afternoons in clean, contemporary houses with traditional aspects, like rainy afternoons or fall days.
ReplyDelete