The Writer’s Dream: My First Dream with My Characters

Two nights ago, I had a bizarre experience. I had a dream featuring two of my characters from The Cogsmith’s Daughter, Aya (my protagonist) and Dellwyn (her best friend).

The dream took place in one of my novel’s settings. The conversation Aya and Dellwyn had did not align perfectly with my plot, but it fit in with the Desertera world. It was like watching a “deleted scene” from my novel, like glimpsing what my characters’ lives are like while I’m busy processing customer payments at the office.

I could see the women so clearly. I saw Aya — her tan skin, bright green eyes, curly brown hair, petite frame, trying to preserve her modesty in her provocative work clothes. Dellwyn, unfortunately, was not the voluptuous, ebony-skinned bombshell from my novel, though. She was replaced by an actress from a TV show I had watched earlier in the day, which was highly disappointing.

Regardless of this minor unconscious-blunder, the dream was splendid. I mean, I dreamed about my characters and my world. My mind summoned the details I have imagined thousands of times in my waking state all on its own. Isn’t that just cool?

Now, I like to analyze my dreams. I have a lot of apocalypse dreams and a lot of dreams about school, and I like to lie in bed in my barely-conscious morning state and suss out their meanings. Unfortunately, I’m not sure exactly what this dream means. However, here are the (logical and inflated) potential conclusions I’ve drawn:

• My book has become a huge part of my life and thought patterns (obviously).
• I must have a strong concept if I can imagine it so clearly while I sleep.
• I have passed into some mystical phase of creative proficiency, like when people learning a foreign language start to dream in the new language.
• Some spiritual power (the sandman?) is telling me that my book is worth publishing.
• My creative abilities are growing and working overtime.
• I am meant to be doing this, writing, that is (though maybe sleeping, too).

No matter what my dream “means,” if anything, I am so thankful that I had it. On one hand, it boosted my confidence, making me feel creative and empowered to keep pursuing my novel. On the other hand, it was simply fun to get a sneak peek at my characters when they’re not “onstage” for their roles in my plot. Either way, my dream has left me inspired to push on with editing my novel and keep working towards publication!

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Have you ever had a dream featuring your characters? What other ways do your characters pop into your mind at unexpected times?