Writers Dreaming

Guiseppe Tartini is said to have a dream of the devil playing the violin. The piece was beautiful. When Tartini awoke, he attempted to recreate it, though he says the resulting composition, "The Devil's Trill," was never as good as what he heard in his dream. Stories abound of artists, musicians, and particularly writers, dreaming their craft.

Podcast Lecture: The Somniloquy

Reading:

Epel, Writers Dreaming: essays by Isabel Allende, Maya Angelou, and Stephen King

Questions:

1. Allende, King, and Angelou each discuss recurring dreams. How does each interpret them in relation to his or her writing?

2. How do these writers theorize the dream state and its function?

3. Both Angelou and King write that the writing process is like dreaming. Do you agree?

Activities:

Documentary--"The Power of Dreams: Creative Spark": Watch Vol. 2 of this Discover Channel documentary, and note especially the interviews with Isabel Allende, William Styron, and Billy Joel, who discuss the way dreams have inspired their work.

Dream Journal: Look back over your dream journal-- do you see evidence of any problem-solving in your dreams? Have your dreams influenced your own creative and intellectual projects?