Writers Dreaming: 26 Writers Talk About Their Dreams and the Creative Process

by Naomi Epel

As they discuss their dreams--both sleeping and waking--with Naomi Epel, the 26 writers in this intriguing book create a portrait of the creative process that is more candid than most autobiographies and more inspiring than any guide to writing.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Memoir, Crafts, Biography, Essays

292 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Jimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I saw the title, I expected a lot of BS about dreaming. We really don't remember many dreams. So I thought with writers they would dish out a lot of made up stuff. But I didn't sense that happening much. And I forgot about the rest of the subtitle: Writers talk about their dreams and the creative process. That last part when the authors talked about their writing process was terrific. I loved reading this.

[SmarterLilac · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books on the creative process I've read. Delicious. Anne Rice, William Styron and Nadine Gordimer's contributions are particularly fascinating.

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life is but a dream. Creating & dreaming. The writing process.
(Left- vs. right-brain writers?)

ART SPIEGELMAN:
"I know that the dream lab is very active. Often I'll find that if I go to sleep laying the day's problem out to myself, and get a fairly clear fix on the various strands and bits of what I was working on right before going to sleep, letting those be my last conscious thoughts, I'll more or less consistently wake up with a solution."

MAURICE SENDAK:
"Dreams don't ever directly influence my work in terms of plot, movement or even idea. Never. What they do is raise the emotional level of what I'm doing at the moment. They add color or counterpoint to the work, acting as an almost symphonic accompaniment to what I'm doing."

"I think dreams are important in terms of how they assist you creatively. They can help clarify an emotional condition. Say you're ambivalent about a project – which happens frequently – you might have a dream where your true emotional state is revealed. Either for or against the project."

AMY TAN:
"Things that come from your subconscious in a dreamlike state can be a lot more honest than they would be if your consciousness was turned on or if your defenses were completely in place. When you lose that sense of protecting your ego, richer symbols appear."

ANNE RIVERS SIDDONS:
"I think that by listening to my dreams I can at least isolate what it is that I fear most, what keeps me off balance and nervous. Dreams give me some insight into what I need to work on. That's one of their great values. I don't think dreams solve problems for you; very overtly, very often, I think what they do is clarify the areas of pain and conflict. Or adjust the areas of focus. They help you look at things that are just too frightening or too painful to look at in reality."

"The central message in all mythology, in all portions of history, in all the world, is that there are ways, such as dreaming to tap into the wild side of us, which is where all the richness and all the healing and all the creativity comes from. We've managed to shut it off completely, most of us, in this modern day, and it can cripple us badly. Very, very badly."

SUE GRAFTON:
"If I am very blocked or very confused or frustrated I will drink coffee late in the day, knowing that it's going to wake me up in the dead of night. So I get to sleep perfectly soundly and then, at three A.M. when left brain is tucked away, not being vigilant, right brain comes out to play and helps me."

SPALDING GRAY:
"I have a cardboard box. And I throw everything that's unanswered, disturbing or relevant to some of the things I'm thinking about, into that box. Then, when I have time, maybe a year later, I'll dump it out and begin to put together the puzzle of a new monologue. I will take a spiral notebook and make an outline of progressive anecdotes, of stories that I think apply to the puzzle. So I begin to have a new take on my life, on where I am historically. What I'm thinking about. How I'm interacting with people. It grows out of a series of anecdotes. Then I begin to see the common theme by speaking it."

Interviews:
Isabel Allende / Maya Angelou / Clive Barker / John Barth / Richard Ford / Sue Grafton / Spalding Gray / Allan Gurganus / James W. Hall / Charles Johnson / Stephen King / Elmore Leonard / Leonard Michaels / Bharati Mukherjee / Gloria Naylor / John Nichols / Jack Prelutsky / Reynolds Price / Anne Rice / John Sayles / Maurice Sendak / Anne Rivers Siddons / Art Spiegelman / Robert Stone / William Styron / Amy Tan


► On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King - writing process, editing
► Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench - Shakespeare, acting, biography
► A Manual of Writer's Tricks: Essential Advice for Fiction and Nonfiction Writers by David L. Carroll - writing tips & tools
► Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer by Roy Peter Clark - writing tips
► The Art of Slow Writing: Reflections on Time, Craft, and Creativity by Louise DeSalvo - writing process & tools
► Content Strategy for Mobile by Karen McGrane - mobile devices, content strategies

[Cynthia Rosi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Naomi Epel holds dream workshops and presents a talk radio show, where she interviews writers. Combining the two passions led to this collection of interviews with well-recognized names like Amy Tan, Clive Barker, and Stephen King.
The first three authors interviewed, Isabelle Allende, Maya Angelou, and Clive Barker, strike me as similar in their approach to dreams. Allende says she confuses the waking and dream world, the fact and fiction world, and this muddle informs and works through her fiction. Angelou also talks about this phenomenon: “There’s a place I get to that’s a little like dreaming. Almost dreaming but I’m awake. It’s an enchantment,” (p 27). Barker echoes that thought when he says: “I spend most of my working day in some kind of dream state…I do think that if somebody were to secretly photograph me while I was writing, I’d probably look like a lunatic.” He points out that “…the word dreamer is pejorative in our culture. The word fantasy is pejorative. These are things we should not be.” This is a man who is confident enough to say about himself at dinner parties that Never-Never Land is his favorite part of the world, “…and they choke on their soup.”
Other writers had a more separated view of dreams, seeing them as an informative part of themselves, but not necessarily as valid, or more valid, than their waking time. However, I enjoyed this insight from Robert Stone: “Writing is strong medicine. It takes a certain amount of discipline and handling…Whether it’s meditation, or whether it’s writing fiction, you bring this strong stuff forth, you surrender to it. You’ve got to really work out some kind of discipline to get it going and then to get it settled down,” (p265).
I enjoyed this book and will refer to it again.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is delightful! There are 26 different authors (arranged in alphabetical order) so some chapters are more appealing than others but some surprised me. Like: I wasn't at all interested in Anne Rice until I read that she began writing about vampires after her 6 year old daughter died of a rare blood disease. Suddenly you see how the creative process is related to the life, the dreams, the nightmares of the creators.
Should be read in bits and pieces--reward yourself after some hard work with a chapter or two. Reading it all at once is almost like too much chocolate.

[Benjamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an interesting book. It is literally about the dreams — the hallucinations of slumber — of writers. Not so much about daydreams, or aspirations, or anything other than the literal dreams of writers.

Naomi Epel worked as a driver/helper of visiting writers in San Francisco. She’d pick them up, drive them to book signings, talks, etc. Naturally, they’d talk, and she was keenly interested in dreams. She later hosted a radio show on the subject as well, eventually putting together this book. 20+ years later, it’s still a fascinating read. A couple of the essays sounded familiar — especially Sue Grafton’s. Grafton edited a book about the process of mystery and thriller writers, including herself, and she talks a lot about how dreams play a part in her process.

Gloria Naylor, in her essay says that writers are a work’s first audience. The idea stuck with me, and I’ve been thinking it over. I think it may be true. It feels true at least, and that’s not the worst test.

Read the full review:
https://benjaminlclark.com/2046/

[Rhonda Wiley-Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book starts with the premise of being about dreaming, but each author (26 of them, most of them men) addresses night dreams, interpretation of dreams, dreams that affect their writing, how writing is a dream world of its own, and many other takes on "dreaming." But what I unexpectedly enjoyed is how many of the authors discuss the craft of writing and the process of writing in their experience. So it is so much more. Sue Grafton (author of the alphabet series, A is for Alibi) offered up writerly advice, "... if you give yourself away every single time, you fill up like a well." And Allan Gurganus (author of The Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All) wowed me with this comment, "There's a strange combination in writing of using images and fragments from actual dreams, but also finding a way to have a governed conscious dream life, which is what writing is. Which is what being an artist is."

[Kevin Pal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of 26 published writers, including Stephen King, Anne Rice, Elmore Leonard, and Maurice Sendak, in which the authors discuss their dreams and how those subconscious adventures play into their writing. Fears, desires, and anxieties all play out in the discussions and become particularly interesting if you have a good grasp on a writer's works: if your bookshelves are filled with Stephen King thrillers, it's a special insight to read about what goes on in the author's head when he's tucked under the covers.

[Elizabeth Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting twist on the often bland 'writers talking about writing' subject. I was also taken aback by the obvious commitment to diversity in this collection- in race, gender, sexuality, religion, chosen genre and motivations for writing. I feel as if it is this melting pot of perspectives that made this collection most worthwhile to me (discredited Freudian theory nonwithstanding). An interesting read for prospective writers.

[Beth Browne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever wonder what Stephen King dreams about? Amy Tan? Elmore Leonard? Well, it's all here in this remarkable book about writers and their dreams and the impact of those dreams on their writing. Fascinating stuff.

[Elaine Burnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had a dream last night that would have made a great story, except I can’t remember enough of it. Just that the main character was a woman named Amira and she was rebelling against something. That’s pretty much the lesson of Writers Dreaming.

From Isabel Allende to Amy Tan, 26 writers talk about dreams and writing (or cartooning). Only eight are women, though, so that ratio could have been better. Hearing from other writers, experts in fact, is always enlightening. Many talk about their process, all talk about dreams, but not that many find dreams specifically useful. Like most of us, dreams are hard to remember or make sense of. But many, like me, have had those moments of inspiration right around the time of falling asleep or waking up. There’s something about the creative mind that needs help surfacing. And working it, like a muscle, helps.

In addition to the dreams, there are helpful tips, like visualizing the scene first, then writing it down. Try meditation. Try music. Hypnotize yourself into blocking out the rest of the world so you can focus on the story. Increasingly hard to do in this plugged-in, online age. Go for a walk. Take a shower. Yep, they’ve all done these. Sue Grafton talks about constructing a mystery. Stephen King about symbolism.

Skip the parts where they only describe their dreams and not their writing process, especially a few of the men who seem fascinated by their wet dreams.

I finished this energized to get back into the kind of writing I like best—that joyous, free-for-all fun. Creating that dream and writing it down. This goes on the shelf right next to Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott.

[Janet Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Naomi Epel suffers from a lifetime fascination of the power of dreams in the creative process. She tells the story of compiling an anthology of writers’ dreams with great caution: “[The dreamer’s] message to get out of the way [is] embedded all along in the imagery of the dream. The dream picture said stay quiet and let the artists do the work” (3). In a sense, Epel posits, dreams have beauty, magic, and ideas from the subconscious artist within ourselves that can fuel our projects.
The bulk of the anthology is Epel allowing twenty-six different writers to translate how their dreams—or waking visions—influence their creative process. Isabel Allende, for example, says that dreams can be “the clue for the whole book” (11). Maya Angelou, quite simply says dreams “tell the truth” (27). Stephen King says that the subconscious sometimes sends up dreams “the way you would send somebody an interoffice message in a pneumatic tube” (138). Whether they have had personal breakthrough because of dreams, or their family members have contributed dreams to their stories, every writer sheds light on the power of dreams. If you're looking for a craft book, this anthology is inspirational.

[Maher Battuti · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting important book tracing the role of dreams in the life of writers. The author deals with 26 writers, mainly Americans or those who visit America , as Isabel Allende. We read about : Stephen King, Styron, Maya Angelou, Amy Tan...
Pity that the book lacks many others who wrote about their dreams , especially our Naguib Mahfouz.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring collection of thoughts about writers' dreams and how they influence their writing. Many of the writers were unknown to me, but will be following them up later as I loved what they had to say. I even found that I dreamed more when reading this book. I particularly enjoyed the entries by Isobel Allende, Clive Barker, Sue Grafton and Spalding Gray.

[Janessa Drainville · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting concept for a book 📚 I loved the idea of writer’s explaining their creative process and how their dreams played into it. However, some of the stories felt unnecessary and did not seem to match the theme of the book.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - interesting that a lot of them had similar experiences with dreams and their writing process

[Zulema Renee Summerfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

i found this book at city lights~ it's all about writers and their dream lives. i started it yesterday and was all excited about going to sleep, thinking that my whole dream world would be turned on its head, but really i just dreamt that the landlord was painting an outside fence pink and that he was going to evict us. oh, and also i was doing this photo shoot in my gramma's backyard, and the photographer asked me to stand against the fence with my butt facing him, so i did, and i was wearing these ridiculous hoochie shorts i got at Ross a million years ago, and then it got really creepy, and he wasn't really taking photos or directing me in any photo shoot kind of way, so i started yelling at him and basically called him out, like, you're such a phoney, you're not even a real photographer. (and then, if this were a campy scooby-doo mystery or a skit at summer camp, i'd have gone to his camera and opened the little flap and there would be no film inside~ thereby exposing him (pun totally intended!) for the fraud that he is. but that didn't happen.) anyway, i totally forgot about that last part, the part about the photoshoot. so maybe this dream book is really working after all.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains transcribed interviews with certain authors and the dreams, and how they relate to their creative process. I found it very interesting and insightful and could relate to many ideas. The format was a little weird; since they're writers I would have rather just read their writing instead of this sometimes stilted transcript. Writers included Stephen King, Maya Angelou, Jack Prelutsky, Isabella Allende, William Styron and Clive Barker.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A treasury of experience as experienced writers share their dreams, both sleeping and waking, and their working process. A diverse range of writers and perspectives, from Isabel Allende to Stephen King and Maurice Sendak and many more. Transcribed from conversations with the authors and presented in an essay format, the nuggets of wisdom are easily accessible. This book is a friend to turn to for insight, inspiration, hope.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little disappointed in this book. Some of the entries were fabulous, so perhaps I should give the book 4 stars, but then there were lots of writers I didn't care too much for, and some writers who I *do* enjoy reading, but gave rather pedantic essays on a subject that should be fun, creative, and well -- cool.

[Sunday Dutro · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slow-paced nonfiction anthology of writers detailing their dreams and how their dreams affected their books and craft. Fascinating and with great authors like Amy Tan, Anne Rice, Stephen King, Isabel Allende, etc. It’s interesting that all these authors paid attention to their dreams at some point in their lives whether or not they could relate what they dreamt to what they wrote.

[Lorelei · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed bag. Different writers talking about dreams and dreaming. Some of it was fascinating, entertaining; some of it was deadly dull or just a waste of my time. I'm really glad to have read what Maurice Sendak had to say, and now I like him even more than I did. It's not a bad book.

[Janet Miles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took a little longer to read than I expected but it was generally interesting. Some of the authors were a little long-winded.