So I woke up this morning with a clear picture of a dream just beginning to fade, and I was able to leap out of bed and record enough of it on the Eee PC before I lost it that I might be able to turn it into a short story. The question is whether I should.
I'm dubious about the worth of dreams as seeds for fiction. They're certainly good for interesting insights into one's subconscious mind, and perhaps they're useful to provide a creative kick in the pants or a different way of thinking. Their literal contents, however, too often constitute a pile of literary offal that smells good first thing in the morning but is clearly rancid upon later review.
This one's safe to use, I think, because the story's not
about the dream, but
inspired by the dream, or, more accurately, by dreaming. I've wanted for some time to write a short story that explores lucid dreaming, and this idea gives me the opportunity. Also, I just reviewed the words I feverishly typed at six o'clock this morning, and at noon they still smell presentable.
The bigger issue for me right now is that I have been in "novel mode" for some time. If I want to take a break from noveling and crank out a short story, I have to switch gears. Well, perhaps now, over the holidays, when my schedule is out of whack anyway, is a good time to do that. I'll also have to catch up on
Crittering, in order to get some editing help.
In the end, I'll have to accept dreaming as a valid jumping off point for my fiction. At least my meandering subconscious got my creativity to move in a new and interesting direction today, and anytime one finds oneself typing "feverishly," good things are bound to happen.