Dreams are a huge source of inspiration for me. (That includes nightmares.)
Every morning, I try to spend a few minutes in that in-between place, half awake, reviewing the night’s new material. I sift through what I remember, hunting for potential stories, any good imagery. If there’s something good, I’ll chew on it until I get to my laptop for the day. If there’s something great, I’ll steal a few minutes to get it on paper right away.
I think a lot of creative work flexes the same muscles as dreams. How can I communicate this thought that won’t let up? How do I explain how I really feel about it? What merged images and collective memories can capture it?
Dreams echo the creative process. They’re your brain’s poetry. Yes, even that extra weird one you’re thinking of right now.
This Halloween season, I wish you the sweetest and most haunting of dreams!
Books
I read Strange the Dreamer some time ago, but it’s stuck with me. The prose is undeniable. Lush and lyrical, guiding you through immense character arcs spanning cities and deserts. It’s truly a saga. Although I rarely DNF books, I have a terrible tendency to walk away from series. This time, though, I couldn’t resist tackling the sequel.
Stay Awake was a surprise. I don’t do a lot of short story collections, and I couldn’t grasp the vibe from the blurbs. Sorta horror, sorta literary? So what is it? After reading it, to be fair, I’m struggling to capture it too. The stories are unrelated but consistent, each from the perspective of a deeply flawed narrator (usually a man). These characters are often despicable, but in a quiet, deeply human way. It’s rarely clear if something paranormal has happened, but it feels haunted by the paranormal. It’s just damn good writing by somebody who has a great grasp of handling short stories.
The Invisible Hotel was special, though I admit you’ll need a little patience with it (read more in my Goodreads review). A young South Korean woman whose family is scarred by war keeps slipping into a mysterious old hotel, her reality blurring each time. It’s subtle and surreal, generational trauma in watercolor.
Tragically, my old strained eyes can’t handle the full digitized version of this 19th-century book. But it’s so worth a brief skim! The language, the beautiful cover. It’s a delightful collection of “weird happenings.” If I ever get around to situating some of my writing in the 19th century, I’ll be pulling this one up again.
“The chief purpose of this book is, if fortune helps, to entertain people interested in the kind of narratives here collected.”
The Book of Dreams and Ghosts by Andrew Lang (1897)
Art
One of Goya’s “Los Caprichos,” a series of 80 aquatint etchings (late 1790s). I love the frenzied darkness rising from the dreamer’s mind, the eerie, watchful gaze of the big cat on the floor.
“Love” (1895) by Gustav Klimt. Everyone knows “The Kiss,” but Klimt is also responsible for this haunting piece. It’s surreal, ethereal. A moment outside of time, as tender as it is ominous. I think it feels like the woman’s dream, something she’ll only half remember on waking.
“Bad Dream” (~1900) by Austrian artist Alfred Kubin. Ink on paper. I see a dark, hooded ‘nightmare’ resting on the chest of a tormented sleeper.
Indie Games
“Don’t Escape: 4 Days in a Wasteland” is apparently the fourth installment in a series. You don’t need that background to totally enjoy this one.
A bizarre cataclysmic event has cracked the moon in half, and soon the Earth will end . . . but you’re playing as David, a lone survivor who preps for tomorrow based on the prophetic dream he has the night before. Poisonous fog, giant spiders, a deadly heat wave? Each “day” is a variable point-and-click adventure (with limited clicks, because the daylight is fleeting).
Big fan of this one! It was genuinely unique, with a cast of great characters who actually each have their own little arcs.
“I Remember This Dream” is a simple premise: follow the bell. You’re a first-person standing in the silent, snowy woods. You know this woods. You’ve dreamed it before. This atmospheric little experience is this creator’s first game!
Film
The Sandman (1991) is a short stop-motion film, just under 10 minutes, inspired by an early 19th-century European short story featuring the titular character. It’s weird, gorgeous, creepy art. The director also had a hand in Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach.
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Check out my other themed lists! APPLES, CATS, and MERMAIDS were all so much fun to put together. And if you like this kind of thing, check out the Author-Oddity Newsletter! It’s free and easy to subscribe. No need to make an account or anything, just pop your email in below.
