Wednesday, August 7, 2019

Can Dreams Inspire Writers?


It has been raining off and on here since the middle of the night. Thunder, lightning, heavy rain at times followed by a lighter, steady kind. It seems we are to have this off and on all day and into the night. One benefit is cooler temps. If it is a stormy day where you live, stay safe and dry. If you have sunshine, appreciate it. Now, on to today's topic.

Chicken Soup for the Soul keeps chugging along. They are producing one new anthology book after another. Yesterday, I received a notice from them about another new title. This one will be called Listen To Your Dreams, and the theme, of course, is dreams.

They seek stories about what dreams reveal to us and much more. Here's the list of suggested topics. Remember that their list is only to inspire you, perhaps trigger a memory so you can write a story. These are definitely not the only topics.

The list:



Dreams about finding love
Dreams that saved you or a loved one from danger/death
Dreams that helped you face your fears
Dreams that changed the direction of your life
Dreams in which you communicated with a loved one, either dead or alive
Dreams that caused epiphanies
Dreams that changed your behavior
Dreams that made you more adventurous
Dreams that contained important warnings or medical information
Dreams that gave you comfort or helped you forgive someone
Dreams that made you more optimistic/happier
Dream journaling and how-to-use your dreams more effectively
Premonitions that came true or saved you from something bad
Learning to trust your inner guidance [we may do a chapter about inner guidance even if it occurs during your waking hours.]
Amazing coincidences and synchronicity [again, we may do a chapter about this even if these things occurred during your waking hours.]

I have a story in mind to submit that is a topic not in this list. It's about how writers can use dreams. I once heard a poet speak on this subject and found it most fascinating. She said that our dreams are great for writing inspiration. If you have a dream and remember it upon waking, go immediately to your computer or pen and notebook and start writing. Just write, no sorting out or rethinking. Just write as quickly as you can and see what comes of it.

As always, read the Guidelines page very carefully. I am quite sure many good stories are rejected because the writer did not follow the guidelines. The deadline date is February 28, 2020. It seems far away, but you know how fast the weeks slip by. Don't wait until the last minute. When the editors receive submissions they like early on, they'll keep them in a Final Cut list, so give yourself plenty of leeway.

The following are other titles that are open for submissions. Read the information on each here.

Laughter is the Best Medicine
Stories About Christmas
Stories about Self-Care and Me Time
The Golden Years or Second Wind
The Magic of Cats
The Magic of Dogs
You Go, Girl


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