Writers Dreaming

Although this book is centered on the subject of how writers use dreams in their work, it contains a great deal of fascinating anecdotal information about the process of writing in general. As a professional writer and a former writing teacher, I'm constantly amazed at the misconceptions people have about the writing process -- e.g., "good writers get it right the first time and never have to revise," or "there's one RIGHT way to write" -- and this book does a lot to dispel those misconceptions. It also implicitly points out that writing is a continual dialogue between the irrational, creative, dream-logic part of the mind and the rational, critical, linear part, and that the most successful writers are those who can balance the two. Epel has done a great job of shaping the authors' comments into easy-to-read essays, and I was impressed that she avoided the temptation of showcasing herself as the all-knowing interviewer. This is not only a fun book to read, but very informative too.

This book is awesome. It is one of the most interesting books I have read on both writing and the creative process. Perhaps because it provides some true insight into the way writers actually work. This is not your typical "Interview with the Author." Naomi Epel's interviewees reveal themselves to be human, and not "just" literary luminaries. They talk candidly about how they find inspiration; how they find solutions to obstacles in their writing; and how so many of these solutions or answers lie deep within themselves, often to be revealed through their dreams. The key is to be open enough to hear to what your subconscious is telling you.

Do you remember your dreams? Do you sometimes confuse them with waking reality? Do you incorporate images from your dreams into your writing? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might find Naomi Epel's interviews with twenty-six writers both entertaining and insightful. Epel, who studied under dream interpreter Jeremy Taylor (Where People Fly and Water Runs Uphill), had the great good fortune to interview many of today's most popular writers while she worked at a public radio station. Since she was interested in dreams herself, she chose to interview them specifically about their dreams. The results are as varied and creative as the writers themselves. While some writers claim they use much material from their dreamwork, others swear they never dream at all. But the most interesting part of the book is that discussing dreams leads most of the writers to discuss their own creative process. The result is that we learn, for example, William Styron received the vision for Sophie's Choice in a sort of waking dream, and mystery writer Sue Grafton devised her first murder plot by fantasizing about revenge on her ex husband. Any writer will find comfort in the familiar ups and downs of the creative process described by these writers, and many will find inspiration as well. A fascinating look into the minds of twenty-six writers.