If you’re searching for your muse, tune in to your dreams

Saint-Pol Roux, is said to have hung the inscription, ‘The poet is working’ from his door while he slept.

You likely know that writing dreams down can help improve dream recall, and that journaling your dreams helps you discover deeper meanings in your dreams. But did you know that working with dreams can also help you with your writing projects?

Writers throughout time have used dreams as their muse. The story of Frankenstein came to Mary Shelley in a dream, and in interviews and articles, Toni Morrison described how she created dreamlike states of receptivity to inspire her novels. Sue Monk Kidd, author of The Secret Life of Bees, often writes about how her dreams guide her in her writing and her life.

Many of the images in my own poems have come through dreams, and a line from a dream inspired the Tiny Love Story that I wrote, and which was published in The New York Times. (CLICK HERE and scroll down to find “Our Return to Tenderness,” a 100-word memoir that will be included in the forthcoming anthology of NYT Tiny Love Stories this fall.)

Incubate a literary dream

But you don’t have to wait for a dream to grace you with literary inspiration. You can use dream incubation to help the process along:

• Write down your question before bed. You can ask your dreams to help you understand a character in a work of fiction, show you the structure for an essay or longer work, remove a writer’s block, etc. Then, think about your question as you fall asleep, and have faith that your dreams will answer.
• You can also try visualizing yourself dreaming about the problem, waking, and writing your dreams down. Another way to help bring about results is to place objects representing the question beside your bed.
• Keep your journal and pencil or pen beside the bed, and be ready to record any dreams that you remember in the morning.
• On waking, lie in bed quietly for several minutes before getting up to allow your dreams to come to mind.
•  Write your dreams in your journal or notebook.
• Have faith that your dreaming mind is supporting you in discovering a solution, whether you remember your dreams or not, and whether or not you immediately understand how your dreams relate to your question.
• Stay open and observe any synchronicities or insights that emerge in the days that follow your incubation.

To learn more about the intersections between dreams and writing, join the Dreaming on the Page Subscription Course for only $10 per month and receive weekly dream-inspired writing prompts, tips, and techniques … and become part of the Dreaming on the Page membership community of writers and creatives.

May you dream, write, and be well! (And let me know how your dream incubation goes.)

Tzivia Gover is a Certified Dreamwork Professional and the author of Dreaming on the Page, Joy in Every Moment and The Mindful Way to a Good Night’s Sleep, among others. She wants to help you wake up to your joyful life, and offers dreamwork sessions, classes, and workshops online. Visit: www.thirdhousemoon.com.

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