I am calling this one Dream Guide and not so oddly enough I had a dream last night that I’m going to use for my example. This may be one of the simplest prompts for generating stories, but it will be difficult if you tend not to remember your dreams. Once you have an interesting dream, write down as many details of the dream as you can remember and then assemble it into a story. Like I said, simple.
Last night I dreamed that I had two additional children. Boy they were a couple of cute little lads. They had names in the dream, but I didn’t follow my own advice and write them down when I woke up.
The advantage this method can have is to start you off with a very strong image. There may be some powerful emotions to go along with the dream that you can channel into your writing. The drawback is that you’re trying to create a whole story from one, or two, scenes that may not make a lot of sense once you’re awake.
Here is my example:
Dream Family
Danny woke up to find that he had two more children than he did yesterday. Cute, vibrant, loveable he bonds to them immediately. By the end of the day he wonders how his family, and his life, was complete without them. But after he puts them to bed that night he receives a mysterious call that threatens the existence of his family – both the new and the old. 
I actually have done this before: woken up and used a dream I just had as a story spring-board. And I write horror.
ReplyDeleteWho wants to be in my brain?
Hmmm, so many responses to that comment.
DeleteAll kidding aside, I know a lot of people who use this method to produce some excellent stories. Glad that it works for you. My dreams tend to be too bizare to make into a novel or movie.
I tend not to remember my dreams. I wake up to the blaring of the alarm so the darn thing sends whatever dream I'm having fleeing to the fringes of my mind or vanishing like vapor.
ReplyDeleteNow, a daydream...I can probably work with that lol!!!
The same thing goes for my wife. She remembers very few of her dreams. And I'm with you that working with daydreams is probably a more productive method for me to generate a story.
DeleteI don't usually remember my dreams, but you came up with a good story premise from yours!
ReplyDeleteThank you. I have to admit that I have surprised myself since I started the Monday Prod. Several of the quickly thrown together story ideas have grabbed my attention and I've wondered if I shouldn't pursue them as legitimate writing projects.
DeleteUnfortunately, in this situation I run into the problem that this is not the sort of story that I can write well. It relies on too many of my weak points for me to think I could write it as it should be written.