The last scene I wrote in Dragon Relic depicted a nightmare I had, numerous times, when I was about four or five years old. To have this dream, that has haunted me for decades, suddenly find its home in my book, felt surreal. The experience was more surreal than the dream itself. It required no force and minimal alteration; the dream simply belongs in this book.
This isn’t the only dream that has influenced Dragon Relic. A story about dragons had been on my mind for a few months, particularly because I knew my children might enjoy it. Then, one morning, I woke up from a nightmare that starred a terrifying dragon. Everything about it… how it opened, the setting, and the cliffhanger… was perfect for the beginning of a book.
I altered very little of the dream while translating it to the page. Yes, I’ve added more detail and backstory, and there is a lot more story to write beyond which the dream showed me (I mentioned the cliffhanger?). However, the dream itself remains in-tact.
My dreams tend to be vivid, expansive sagas. Sometimes they even have narration! In many dreams, I’m not myself or, similarly, I’m flying over the “main character” and just observing everything that takes place.
As a writer, I’d flounder for inspiration without my dreams…
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