Welcome to another edition of Open Book Blog Hop. This week’s question is: “Do dreams/nightmares influence your writing? Do you keep a notebook by your bed to write down ideas?”
Years ago when I was in college, after reading an Ellery Queen mystery, I developed an irrational fear of policemen, which caused me to be plagued by nightmares. One such dream inspired the following scene from my first novel, We Shall Overcome.
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“Where are you taking me?” asked Lisa as several policemen carried her down a long, dark hall.
“Where do you think?” one of them said.
“Please put me down,” Lisa said. “You’ll drop me. Just because I don’t see very well doesn’t mean I can’t walk.”
The men only laughed, and she was consumed by panic. Lisa fought to free herself from their grasp, which was not easy since her hands were cuffed behind her back. Two of the officers held her ankles while others held her shoulders. She began to scream and continued screaming until she was carried through a doorway and tossed onto a hard bunk. The cell door slammed with a resounding thud as the policemen left her, still handcuffed, lying face down on the bed.
“It is now six thirty am,” said the male voice of Lisa’s talking alarm clock as a cheerful tune was played. She sat up with a start. Her heart pounding, she discovered to her relief that she was not in a jail cell but in her own bedroom. The sheets and blankets were in a tangle on the floor. “Oh, god,” she said and flopped on the bed to wait for her heart to stop pounding.
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How about you? If you’re an author, do dreams or nightmares influence your writing? Have any of your characters ever had bad or good dreams? You can click here to participate in this week’s hop and read other bloggers’ responses.
New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me
Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.
Independently published with the help of DLD Books.
Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes Natalie. But one Halloween night, she tells her a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, who is a college English teacher, and another professor.
After some research, Natalie learns that people with dementia often have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she finds her biological father online. The resemblance between them is undeniable. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.
Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.
Her younger sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant her request?
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My Corner 