The Dream and the Nightmare
“I keep writing depressing things," said Harriet. "My work needs to be happier."
I hear this frequently. Writers reject what is emerging.
But I've discovered that the dark and disturbing can be beautiful.
And in my own life, the dream is never far from the nightmare.
My dream has come true in that I'm surrounded by creativity and community, doing what I love. But at this time in my life, the nightmare has shadowed me.
I am tempted to turn over in my sleep and forget my horrors.
That heated argument with my sweetheart? Imagined it. That abandoned friendship? Wasn’t me. The day I couldn’t stop crying? Never happened.
Creating demands truth. If I’m creating from a place of something I don’t feel, my work is going to be shallow and temporary.
Life is both dream and nightmare.
My honest, day-to-day struggles pose opportunities for exploring, telling stories, putting heartbreak on a page or into a painting.
If what keeps coming up is sadness, then that’s my honest place of creating.
There’s power in this.
Don’t run from it.
Use it.
Scream if you have to . . . but don’t roll over and go back to the sleep of the dreamless.
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Congratulations Edee!
Edee Lemonier just had her first short story published in the Front Porch Review! This, followed by a poem acceptance! |
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Need a story prompt?
- Visit the Bookish board for wild and inspiring images.
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Wildfire Wednesday
May 28
7 - 9 pm
Cascade Park
Community Library
"The Night, and the Rain, and the River"
Hosted by Rick Thomas
Featuring
short stories by
Trevor Dodge, Kathleen Lane, and Christi Krug
Open mic to follow
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Stories in the Body
Saturday, June 14
TaborSpace
Jenna Abernathy
Yoga and Creative Writing
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Classes:
Evening Master Class
Wednesdays
Ongoing critique and accountability
Limited openings
Thursdays, May-June
Wildfire Writing II Clark College
Creative boost
Designed for repeat
participation
Thursday mornings Wildfire Master Class Currently full
Ask about
"Burn Wild,"
Tuesday
Group Coaching
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Poets in the Shops
Just announced:
My work has been chosen for display by local merchants in Vancouver
this summer.
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