I've heard of a lot of writers say that they "don't know" where they get their ideas. Mine always have a fairly distinct point of entry, it's just that those entrances don't always make sense--like walking past a yellow house will give me an idea about an old woman who believes she's reincarnated from the King of Dolphin (???). But the clearest, sweetest, and most common form of inspiration for me is my dreams.
Most of my nocturnal synapse activity is mashed up, crazy, and forgotten by the time I wake. Other times, there will be intriguing ideas or visions that I ponder after waking--these sometimes germinate into stories. But rarest - and most delightful - of all, are the times when my brain is graced with elaborate narrations.
They most closely resemble a montage of random scenes from a movie. They may not make sense taken at face value, but there are enough hints that I can stitch together a plot as I slowly rouse from slumber. Lying bed, my mind still dipping in and out of dreamland, the story begins to take shape. My waking and sleeping thoughts coming together like the ingredients for a glorious cake (I can never get away from food can I?). And if I'm very, very lucky, as I leave sleep behind for good, the words actually stream out effortlessly, fully composed, and lovely...
...assuming I can get to a keyboard before they get messed up by fully the demands of daily life.
Last night I was lucky enough to have such a dream, and here are the first raw sentences I was able to catch before I was forced to feed the cat, wash my face, and adjust the thermostat:
There is more magic in the world than most humans know, and far, far more than most care to recognize. For much of magic - like the rest of the world - is ugly, and brutal, and defeatist. This is why most humans block it out entirely; humans like to believe that magic is pretty, and charming, and brave. Indeed, they like to think this is true of most of the world--especially the world they have wrought.
This is a tale of true magic. There are parts of it that are charming, and there is certainly bravery in its pages. And there are parts of it that are beautiful, but it must be remembered (as the poet once said) that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder"--and what is beautiful to a crow may appear ugly or brutal in the eye of a mortal man.
About Me
Powered by Blogger.
Well I'd certainly read this. I must know of this magic.
ReplyDeleteI also dream, as you well know, many things that I end up writing. When I wrote my novel I had the first half done and was at a loss. I wrote the end of the novel and was at a worse loss. I dreamed the segue and finished the book in no time at all. Of course, this was twenty years ago and I have rewritten it many times. My first writing, my hero was my guardian angel. Is that wild? I changed him to an ordinary man per the advise of my first reader, a college English prof. I may rewrite it again and go back to guardian angel.
I think angels can make some of the most intriguing characters. Neil Gaiman uses angels in many of his stories, always with some interesting twists. If your fist instinct was to make the character an angel, then I say stick with your gut. You'll know by the end if it was accurate or not. Who knows, maybe some completely new aspect of your character will come to light?
Delete