Write That Dream Down! by Colleen Donnelly

This post is for you, if you have ever woken up feeling there was something sensible in the nonsense of colors, odd characters, and strange events that played like a movie in your sleep. Even if there was no color and you were the only character, consider what I have to say if something about a dream struck a chord that stayed with you even as the details faded. 

Your initial reaction might be, “Very few of my dreams are worth paying attention to.” Generally, that is true. Dreams range from tormenting to laughably ridiculous. I recommend you take note of the ones that don’t torment, aren’t absurd, and linger in a peaceful and significant way. Even if you don’t understand them.

“Is it really necessary to write them down?” you are likely wondering. Yes, because they are easily forgotten if you don’t (so always date your recorded dreams), and because a pattern can emerge over time. You might discover a theme of similar colors, tone, mood, and whose point of view the dream was from. My dreams, for instance, don’t tend to be directional, such as, “Do this” or “Don’t do that,” but are generally revelational. Which means a recorded history of them can expose a panoramic truth of people, circumstances, your life up to this point, and the course you are on. 

“What should I do after I write them down?” Ask and study. Ask yourself, God, friends, and family what the dream might mean, if you are comfortable doing so. You can also do an internet search or buy a book on the meanings of dreams but be very choosy who you trust. Check out the author and their background beliefs thoroughly, but in the end, your opinion of your dream’s meaning matters the most. What rings true to you? If nothing does, set it aside and wait because sometimes understanding comes later. As you progress in this, you will begin to understand what different types of buildings mean, along with their conditions. You will realize why it is significant that you’ve had this dream or seen its situation before. And you will be amazed how important the size of that vehicle was, and who was driving it. Each item has significance. Enjoy the process of discovering more insight about yourself and what you are going through by these unexpected clues.

“What about the dreams I discard?” Don’t look back. Dreams of the nightmarish sort are unproductive, therefore I dismiss them immediately. Poof! What about the silly ones that make no sense? I find those vanish from my memory pretty quickly. If they don’t, then I reconsider them, ponder them, and write them down with a note that I’m not sure about this dream.

Maybe you are wondering about my dreams, and what motivated me to talk about this to begin with. Well, the most bizarre dream I have ever had was the one where Captain Kangaroo’s Dancing Bear lived in an old outhouse in the middle of our driveway. Since that was a recurring childhood dream, it probably had some significance, but I have never delved into it. The most amazing dreams I have ever had were the ones that showed me where I was in life, brought healing, and revealed my current purpose. Those are what I encourage you to watch for—revelations that resolve the past, say it is okay to let go of something or hold it tight, and that move you forward. Lastly, the dream that caused me to talk about this private world at all was the very colorful and unusual one which came after I looked toward Heaven and asked if I was to continue writing fiction. I thought I was finished, but prods kept coming for me to write more, so I asked, “Should I?” and “If yes, then what?” That night I had the most vividly colorful dream of a unique young woman and a male writer she met and immediately enlisted to help her plan her wedding which was three days away. She had three days to prepare a wedding, and he had three days to convince this near stranger who he fell head over heels for that she was marrying the wrong guy…since it wasn’t him. The overall mood of the dream was utter happiness amidst the obvious romantic complications, so upon awakening, I added some villains, personal and relationship snags, and a storytelling grandfather, which culminated in “I Have a Story,” the most fun book I have ever written.

I encourage you to have fun with your dreams. Ask, like I did, and see what happens. Write, read, and learn from them as you go. Be amazed, laugh, and cry, and then move on. Because there is always more of you to explore. 

About the Author:

Colleen L Donnelly was born and raised in the midwestern United States but ventured to other parts of the country where she worked in the field of science by day and immersed herself in the world of fiction by night. Her first traditionally published novel, “Mine to Tell” became an Amazon #1 bestseller, her later novels and short stories also winning recognition and awards. Retired, she works full time at life and writing, enjoys the outdoors, long walks, family, and her little four-legged companion Lucy.

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Heroes aren’t heroes because they are clever or brave, but because they love someone or something deeply.

Jim Turner writes crime but doesn’t live it. He respects his grandfather’s tales of heroes but doesn’t believe them. When his failing grandfather sends him to a remote peninsula to write the end of his own heroic love story, Jim includes a war criminal interview to maintain his edge.

Chastity is an anomaly, a misfit in pre-WWII culture as well as in Jim’s life. Her spritely charm and endearing features turn Jim’s world upside down, especially when she reveals his grandfather’s peninsula as the site of her upcoming wedding.

Do good journalists flee when their interviewee is murdered? Do heroes write fiancés out of another’s story and themselves in? “The End” become the hardest words for Jim to write.

Excerpt

“So,” Chastity said. “Tell me more about the grandfather who impacted you so much.”

I felt him in the room. Or maybe it was in Grove. Mountain Grove. Or because we had been on his beloved peninsula, she with her yellowish hair. It was as if he joined Chastity and me, and she sensed it too. His hands and heart were in this decrepit building with us, his presence and hers making it feel like a castle instead.

“If it wasn’t for him, who knows where you might be now instead of here helping me.” She squeezed my hand.

How did she know? Because of Grandpa I came to Grove and searched for a peninsula that brought me to Chastity…who actually brought me to it. “My grandfather is a wonderful man… But before we discuss him, there are things you should know about.” I had to be honest. “Tasks you can’t help me with.” Like crime and violence, dangerous interviews, and the way I felt about her.

A face unlike any I had ever seen…and never would again…should send my heroic heart to the ladder where I would gather a million splinters in my hands by sliding to the ground, risking pain and infection to keep her safe by leaving.

Her features looked watery as I gazed at her. Tears? I never cried. Her pastel throw rugs turned into colorful puddles blurred by an emotion I had never experienced before.

“You are supposed to be here, Jim. And I am supposed to help you.”

For a moment, something ominous crept into my thoughts. Something of the old crime writer in me, who with several clicks of a typewriter’s keys could turn any story the direction I wanted. I welcomed him back, then set him aside. Because in the blue of her eyes, I saw something stronger—a promise.

If friendship was defined by a long period of time and a large number of interactions, Chastity didn’t qualify. And maybe my initial carnal fascination which became a pitter-patter my heart couldn’t beat without didn’t meet the definition of love. But she was at least partially right. For three days we were supposed to be together and help each other. For three days we had an eternity.

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