The world of dreams. It’s a mysterious, fascinating place that we often go, yet often do not remember visiting. Is it merely our mind sorting out the experiences of the day or something else beyond? Whatever the case, for those of us fortunate enough to remember, it can be a source of endless inspiration…as well as incentive for us sleep-deprived creatives to get to bed on time!
I’ve kept a dream journal for many years now. Sometimes it’s been very active–as many as two entries a night several nights in a row. Other times, it seems ages go by before I net one. In any event, keeping one has served me well. It can be anything from a mildly amusing story to a trip down memory lane, and occasionally the seed of an idea that grows into something more.
How do you keep a dream journal? Well, it’s really quite simple. The best way is to have some sort of writing materials within reach when you wake up in the morning. A pen and paper on the nightstand works best. The moment you regain consciousness, reach for these materials and start writing it out. Ideally you want to move and make as little noise as possible while doing this. Don’t even open your eyes, if you don’t have to, for the images often begin to fade right away if you do.
Alternatively, if you don’t have the materials immediately available, simply keep your eyes closed and remain motionless while you review the events of the dream in your head. Go over everything in as much detail as you can, then hurry to wherever you do have some means of recording it available and put it all down. If you’re a gifted artist, you might even consider drawing some of the images from your dream to bring them more vividly to life when you come back to them later.
Another thing to remember is to always jot down the date you had these dreams (I just date it based on when I wake up). This can be important down the road when you’re looking back at earlier dreams, and can give you insight into what your thought processes were back then.
And it’s really as simple as that. There’s no special secret, and no doubt there are other ways to go about it. But this is my method, and the one that I think most people use to record their dreams (and nightmares) if any at all. You may never look at these journals again. Or, as I said earlier, you may find inspiration in them for that next great book. You never know. Which is why there’s no harm in giving it a try.