Now more than ever...forgetful.

Over the last week or so I have been reading up on tips and tricks that writers (published writers, usually) offer to aspiring or struggling writers. As far as inspiration and fresh ideas are concerned, many writers say that keeping a dream journal is a helpful practice and can often produce many new and creative concepts.

So, what did I do? I followed the advice and decided to start keeping a dream journal of my own. Oh my gosh is it hard!! I often wake up in the middle of the night with the memory of the dream fresh in my head, but I just can't roll myself over to grab the little notebook on the corner of my nightstand and jot down some scribbles which will likely be incomprehensible the next morning.

Now when I wake up in the morning I try to reach for my pen and paper as quickly as possible and write down what I remember dreaming, but it's suddenly become difficult to remember ANYTHING AT ALL!! It's strange--I used to have some incredibly vivid dreams, and the details would stay with me for hours, sometimes through the entire day. Now, I'm lucky if I remember any dreams at all, or even any part of a dream.

This is so frustrating!! Interestingly enough though, the dreams that I am able to remember all have some essence of violence. Several nights ago I had a dream about a kidnapping in which a female friend and myself were taken while walking to our respective cars on a roof-top parking lot. Last week I had a dream in which I was on a train, and next thing I knew I was holding a pistol and was in the middle of a foot-chase, which lead to the footsteps of a courthouse where a man in a long dark trench coat was being convicted of some crime or other. I think I was supposed to be his body guard. After my kidnapping dream, I actually woke up in the middle of the night, laying on my side, with a very intense feeling that somebody was behind me with a knife. Can you say SCARY?!?!

I think I've been watching too many violent movies! Or, maybe this is my subconscious telling me that I should be writing a murder mystery!!

The funny thing is, these dreams are nothing compared to the recurring, always vivid dream I have of a gigantic marshmallow attacking the city (think Godzilla or Cloverfield, yes). The only way to defeat the marshmallow monster is for the entire city to get a GIGANTIC bowl of melted butter, trip the monster so he falls into the bowl, and dump boxes and boxes of Rice Krispies cereal into the bowl. Then the whole city eats a colossal rice krispie treat in celebration of our victory. Yes, this is seriously a recurring dream. Anybody think I should be seeing a therapist?? Yeah, sometimes I wonder that myself.

Hopefully next time I write I'll have some more wonderful and wacky dreams to report, or maybe the beginnings of some great ideas!!