In her fascinating book, Writers Dreaming, Naomi Epel gives us windows into the
dreams of some of our most famous and acclaimed authors. From the range of writers who respond to her questions,
it’s clear that creative folks “find ideas and inspiration in the intermingling
of dreams and their working [lives.]”
Ms. Epel, dream researcher and radio host, interviewed
the likes of Elmore Leonard, Maya Angelou, and Amy Tan - 26 in all are
presented in the book. As she says,
these well-known and successful writers “offer a behind-the-scenes look at the
workings of the imagination…They discuss the dreams that have had a powerful
effect on their work…revealing in the process their philosophies, habitual
rituals and ways of solving creative problems.”
I’ll whet your appetite with a couple of examples: In the chapter devoted to Maya Angelou, we
find that she experiences a recurring dream when her work is going well. She says, “There is a dream which I delight
in and long for when I’m writing. It
means to me that the work is going well…Or that I’m telling the truth and telling
it well.” Ms. Angelou goes on to describe
her dream as being of a “very tall building…in the process of being built…I’m
climbing it with alacrity and joy and laughter!” You can see the metaphor I’m sure, Dear Dreamers;
the analogy between writing a book and constructing a building. If you’re a writer, I’m sure you also
recognize the sensation of pleasure and skill when something meaningful flows
from your fingers!
In Writers
Dreaming, Stephen King says, “One of the things that I’ve been able to
use dreams for in my stories is to show things in a symbolic way that I wouldn’t
want to come right out and say directly.
I’ve always used dreams the way you’d use mirrors to look at
something you couldn’t see head-on – the
way you use a mirror to look at your hair in the back…dreams are a way that
people’s minds illustrate the nature of their problems. Or maybe even illustrate the answers to their
problems in symbolic language.”
Wow!
There it is again – the practical use of dreams for problem solving and
creative generation of solutions from some of the most successful and respected
authors of our time. It doesn’t take a
giant leap of faith to know that productive and accomplished people across all
endeavors can and do employ their dreams, tapping depths of creativity and
insight to their work.
Why not you, Dear Dreamer? I’m certain you have faced or are facing a
challenge in your professional life.
Consider that your dreaming self can be helpful in giving you perspective
on the problem. As Stephen King says, a
dream may offer an angle on the issue that you just cannot see without it!
If these talented and noteworthy artists rely
on their dreams, we too can add them to our toolbox of methods for working resourcefully
on the perplexing problems of our daily lives.
Sweet Dreams to You, Dear Dreamers!
SMYD
sendmeyourdreams@mail.com
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