Ever have a dream you hope you’ll remember in the morning? I had one last night. I woke up amazed at the incredibly vivid sensory details. Before going back to sleep, I thought about what I saw, heard and felt in the dream to try to cement it into my memory so I could recall it in the morning. Gladly, I did remember.
Most of you know I am searching for the right agent for my first completed novel, The Lighthouse Legacy. While I’m doing that, I’m also working through ideas and writing scenes for a new book. Apparently my mind was working on my new book in my sleep. Will the details from my dream make it into the final book? Who knows for sure, but even if they don’t, the dream got me to creatively think in a different way about the developing story.
Most writers will tell you that we can’t wait for inspiration. We have to sit our butts in a chair, write, and find the inspiration. But I sometimes find that trying to force inspiration can mean writing a lot of empty words or going in the wrong direction. Then I have to work backwards and kill my darlings (Stephen King’s writing advice). But even that process moves me forward. It tells me what my story is not. It tells me the characters are whispering in my ear, but I’m not hearing it right. Not yet. Sometimes it means putting the idea on hold to let my subconscious work on it. Then, out of the blue, a breakthrough comes to me. But while I’m waiting, I’m not wasting time. I’m doing things to help my mind find that breakthrough. I’m researching the topic. I’m reading books in my genre or articles on writing and the publishing world. I’m writing my blog. I’m looking for new ideas. I’m adding to a story in progress. I’m sitting quietly, thinking, daydreaming about my characters and the stories they want to tell.
I started work on a sequel to The Lighthouse Legacy. Both stories take place in the quaint coastal (fictional) town of Port Morgan, a town readers would enjoy visiting over and over again. It’s like Robin Carr’s town of Virgin River (only on the Carolina coast) crossed with a Mary Kay Andrews beach read. I’ve made progress in this sequel, but I sometimes stories are just not ready to reveal themselves yet. Or maybe it’s me holding it back. It’s hard to put so much time and effort into a sequel when I haven’t found an agent for the first one – yet. Who knows if there will even be any interest in a sequel?
And then one night while watching tv, a new idea hit me. The Netflix show (I won’t mention here) included this family structure that I thought felt familiar. I recognized similarities to a book series I had read. My mind began analyzing what made this structure work. Then I began considering other elements the two had in common that work. It was a great sign that these elements didn’t feel overused and tired yet, but I needed a new angle, my own angle. Something fresh. Next thing I knew, I had a whole storyline (basic at this point, of course) in my head. I shared it with my husband to get his reaction. He gave me one of those looks I don’t see often when I can tell he’s amazed. He knows I’m creative, but it sometimes takes him by surprise. He said, “When did you come up with that?” I explained how the pieces came together, but the funny thing is, at first I wasn’t even aware my mind was working on it. He loved the idea and was excited to talk it out with me to help me flesh it out. Now I’m researching, working on the plot, writing some scenes that I can visualize (I’ll figure out where they go later), and trying to determine the point of view. I have the character names and their background. I’m beginning to know who they are. Now I need them to tell me their story. That’s where my dream from last night comes in. It’s a critical point in the story. My characters have started speaking to me.
Meanwhile, I wouldn’t say the other book (the sequel) is on hold exactly. I’m just letting my subconscious work on it for awhile. When something amazing comes forward in my brain, I’m open to go with it. Or if I find that perfect agent for The Lighthouse Legacy who is interested in a sequel, let me tell you how inspiration can come out of necessity!
The mind of an author is always processing, imagining, creating, pondering, dreaming. So much is going on in our minds while we fit the pieces to our puzzle together. The story sometimes pours out and other times it trickles. Then hours of editing and proofreading come next. Why do I do it? The joy! The process of creation brings me joy. And hope! It’s that desire to share my creativity with readers, to bring them joy in their lives.
So I keep dreaming and writing. And the search for a literary agent continues. During this pandemic, I hope you can find that something that brings joy to your life. Sometimes it’s just a matter of perspective. The things that bring joy may be standing right in front of you just waiting to be recognized.