dreamland

Something amazing happened last night while I was sleeping...

I dreamt of my hero from my WIP. And I was in the story with him!

Now, what you have to understand is, I dream a lot. Almost every night. Some of those are recurring dreams, not anything scary just re-dos down to the last detail. But I haven't yet had a dream about a scene I'm writing, a scene to be written or any characters from my manuscripts.

Until now.

In my dream I was kidnapped (does that word apply when you're no longer a kid? hope so.), and somehow changed into a vampire (this part was skimmed over--you know, like a dream sequence fly-by that just is because it...is). Anyway, my hero (who looked very much the way I envisioned him--dark skull-trim cut, mesmerizing eyes, strong jaw, muscle bound, yummy), was assigned to transport me to my new coven. I had to spend three days in the back of a van, in the dark, with nothing or no one to talk to except him. And being the thoughtful, rule-breaking hero he is, he sneaked me into a movie theatre for a late night showing of something I really wanted to see. It was great. Even though he's brash and strong, dutiful and quick-witted, he wanted to take care of me...went out of his way (and against direct orders) to make sure I felt comfortable with him. Yeah, he's pretty stellar.

When I woke up this morning I had an epiphany. He's real. I've written him so well, gotten into his head so much that he's taken on an identity that's solid enough for me to dream about. It's a wonderful thing.

I wonder if authors often dream of their characters? And I wonder if they dream of them before they're created (giving way to heroic inspiration for their story) or after (cementing their character traits in dreamland)? Care to weigh in?