Now, it's been a heck of a long time since I graduated safely from high school, college, and graduate school. You'd think my subconscious would have caught on by now. And indeed the dream has evolved over time. Now I wander the halls as an older adult, having for some reason decided to repeat high school (the horror!), and suddenly I realize that I've missed most of my classes. Panic ensues.
During this dream, I have never once entered a classroom. I am doomed to wander the halls with no exit. A couple of weeks ago, however, when I was in the middle of a writing challenge in my waking life, I had the dream again. This time, I finally found my English class. I slipped behind a desk, braving the mocking stares of students who knew I'd missed everything and didn't have a chance. The assignment was to write a compelling 8-page paper.
I struggled to recall a story, quickly. It came in fits and starts. In the dream I gave the finished paper to the teacher. She looked up at me, smiled, and said, "You know, I think you've graduated from this level." I felt...released. Validated, somehow.When I woke up, I realized that the story I'd written in the dream was the first chapter of my WIP.
I hope that that last little mutation of the dream means it won't be back to annoy me. Maybe my subconscious has finally learned that life, indeed, moves on.
If it does come back, I hope at least I'll be in college this time. That would be so much more interesting than high school.
Have you ever found yourself writing in your dreams? Did anything you wrote while dreaming carry over into your waking hours?
0 comments:
Post a Comment