W - Write Down Your Dreams + BONUS

 

NOTE: I fell behind with visiting blogs and returning comments the past two weeks because I was having a really hard time with my grief after losing my mom last month, but yesterday I caught up with one visit each to the bloggers who had visited me during that time (if I was able to access their blog), and I will do my best to return comments each day to the end of the challenge.

I have extremely vivid dreams where I can remember every detail upon waking. Because of this, many of my dreams have inspired stories. I wake up from dreams all the time and think, “That would make a great story!”

30 Seconds came about from a dream I had where I was spinning around on a swivel chair, with rock music blaring, when a pair of hands stopped the chair, and a man in a police officer’s uniform kissed me. Hubba-hubba. Well, I thought upon waking, “How can I turn this into a story?” I stayed in bed, thinking about it and created Dr. Dani Hart and Officer Blake Herro. The dream I had is even a scene in my novella.

I have several other works-in-progress inspired by dreams, too. What I do is go backward and figure out what happened up to what I dreamt about, and I swap myself out for a female character I invent who works for the story. Or, more precisely, a female character steps forward, telling me it’s her story, not mine.

After examining the “Works-in-Progress” folder on my computer, I can tell you I have twelve stories that all came to me because of a dream. I also have a list of ideas I haven’t begun, and several of them originated from dreams.

Dream Journal

As soon as you wake up, before you lose your dream, write down everything you remember about it. Even the odd twists and turns that dreams are known to make. This is a potential story waiting to be developed and written. You can morph it into a story of any length. We’re not just talking about novels here but short fiction, too.

Or maybe you can use bits and pieces of your dream as scenes for your current work-in-progress. I’ve done that, too.

If you pay attention to your dreams, they can be an infinite source of creativity for you. Writing down your dreams and looking back at them can spark ideas for countless stories. So, document them, let them stir your conscious mind, see where they take you as a creator, and write. After all, you own your dreams. They are yours. Use them!

BONUS A TO Z

THEME: AVRIANNA HEAVENBORN

W - Wizard of Oz Joke

In the first chapter of Universal Killer, when Avrianna is at the crime scene located at the Veil, she does something rare. She says a joke.

Universal Killer Excerpt:

Avrianna’s gaze swept across the ground, searching for the dead body. Except, there wasn’t one. Well, not all of one, anyway. A pair of black leather shoes and a pair of ankles poked through the Veil. Whoever had been killed there, the rest of their body wasn’t even in her world.

A middle-aged man with dark hair that reached the collar of his white polo shirt stood a few feet away, staring at the feet and jotting notes in a pad. She joined him. “Hey, Chuck.” She put her hands on her hips and eyed the leather shoes. “So, is this the Wicked Witch of the East’s spouse?”

Chuck looked at her with wide, blue eyes. “Did you just make a joke?”

Her lips quirked at the corners. “I’m not a robot. I can make jokes.”

“I’ve never known it to happen.”

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A - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...To Be an Adult + BONUS

B - Break Down Your Goals + BONUS

C - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...a Coach + BONUS

D - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need a Degree + BONUS

E - HappEEEE (Happiness Jar & 100 Happy Days) + BONUS

F - Feng Shui + BONUS

G - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...To Be a Good Speller + BONUS

H - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...a Home + BONUS

I - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...an Interesting Life + BONUS

J - Journals (Gratitude Journal, Discovery Journal, Art Journal) + BONUS

K - OK, So What Are Natural Stress Relievers? + BONUS

L - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...a Laptop + BONUS

M - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...Money + BONUS

N - Nature to Beat Depression + BONUS

O - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...an Office or a Desk + BONUS

P - Plot It Out (Writer's Block) + BONUS

Q - Quiet Social Media + BONUS

R - Repeat After Me + BONUS

S - To Be a Writer, You Don't Need...a Support System at Home + BONUS

T - Take Care of Yourself + BONUS

U - UVB Rays (HappyLight) + BONUS

V - Vision Board + BONUS

W - Write Down Your Dreams + BONUS