Drama: August 29, 2018 Issue [#9094] |
Drama
This week: Daydreams and Nightmares Edited by: NaNoKit More Newsletters By This Editor
1. About this Newsletter 2. A Word from our Sponsor 3. Letter from the Editor 4. Editor's Picks 5. A Word from Writing.Com 6. Ask & Answer 7. Removal instructions
Do you daydream? Does it help your writing, or can it be a nightmare?
This week's Drama Newsletter is all about our inner worlds, and the world that our physical forms live in.
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Are you a daydreamer? I am. Have been since I was little. I remember sitting on the bus to primary school, gazing out of the window, and anyone looking at me would have just seen me, there, looking at the outside world whilst in my mind I was busy with all kinds of wonderful adventures.
There was a closet in my room that was a treasure to any child with a rich imagination. It was huge, and went around a corner, and it could easily have been a gateway to another reality. I had a backpack at the ready, with items that I thought would come in handy if ever a wizard stopped by and needed me to save a world from the forces of evil.
I may no longer live in the house with that closet, and I may no longer have a backpack waiting for an adventurous journey, but I still daydream. I still have ongoing stories that I visit on a daily basis – whenever I have the opportunity, really.
Except... I’m currently battling with the realisation that I’m getting older. If you’ve been there, you’ll know what it’s like to spot those first grey hairs, spot those first little wrinkles, see all those subtle changes in your body that tell you time’s passed, if not in your mind, at least
in your physical form.
In my inner world I am still a 20-something, and I look a lot better than what I see in the mirror. I am the version of me that I would have always loved to be. I’m probably not the only writer who uses some of that imaginary-me in my characters – they may have their own flaws, but they are a braver, more daring version who can do many of the things that I have never been capable of.
In addition, the more I look around me, the less I like the state of the world that we live in. I see all the violence, the hatred, the corruption, the damage that is done to people on a daily basis. That affects my inner world, where I have created a place secluded from all of this. A safe haven where everyone gets along, and lives peaceful, happy lives.
You can no doubt spot the problem with my daydreaming – if my daydreams are an escape into happiness, reality increasingly looks like a nightmare. That may not be the healthiest solution to the problems that I, individually, and we as humans face.
I can picture myself as an elderly lady, sat in a chair by the window, still dreaming of this safe haven, still running around in there as someone in their 20s. It’s apparently not unusual. I have spoken with people in their 70s and 80s who have told me that, in their minds, they are still young. Mental age simply doesn’t always align with physical age. Will I be sad if that happens? Upset, even, when I see my reflection and think of all that I am no longer capable of? Will I increasingly linger on the past, or escape into my dream world? Isn’t it better to live in the now and enjoy it as much as possible? I don’t know.
Why do we daydream? Do most people do so to a greater or lesser extent? People who imagine what it’s like to win the lottery, or to meet that perfect person, or correct a past embarrassing incident, or envision graduation, or that amazing career that they’re working hard towards. As writers, we may sprinkle our daydreams with a wide variety of characters, scenarios, build an entire universe from scratch. Do there have to be boundaries? If so, where?
I guess that the boundary is when you’re too caught up in your dream world to cope with the real world. For example, if you build up that perfect person in your mind, and your expectations are completely unrealistic, you may end up rejecting someone who you later realise would have been perfect for you after all. If you constantly escape to your safe haven, you may not resolve issues that need dealing with, or end up attempting to do so when it’s too late.
I sometimes struggle to find a balance in life. Often, I get caught up in something – be it writing, or reading, or whatever else – and procrastinate on other things, like studying, or paperwork, and so on. The same goes for daydreaming, especially when I am stressed or upset. My inner world is always there, waiting for me to enjoy it. If I am not careful, I can end up creating my own nightmares.
Whilst I am far from a genius, I can relate to that stereotypical image of the eccentric professor who is brilliant in their select field but completely useless when it comes to those day-to-day things we need to do in order to survive. Often, in that stereotypical image they have people around them to take care of everything else. As I am, indeed, not a genius, nor so brilliant in one field that I can afford to have people taking care of day-to-day stuff, I’ll have to nudge myself back into real action rather than my dreams.
Still, I am glad that I have that inner world. Who knows what stories they might end up inspiring?
NaNoKit
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Wishing you a week filled with inspiration,
The Drama Newsletter Team
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