Dreams

For the past couple of weeks, I've been having vivid, sometimes strange dreams. They play out in my mind almost like a movie. One "scene" seems to flow into the next. The "characters" in my dreams are sort of undefined, but familiar. Some of my dreams have been more like nightmares, but there is a kind of storyline playing out during the dream. It's funny that I would have any scary images because I try to shelter myself from anything scary during my waking hours. You won't catch me at a horror movie!

I have always had dreams. Now my dreams are more focused and longer. This period of dreaming seems different to me. I'm wondering if it is somehow tied in to my desire to be more creative. Can my subconscious be "feeding" me raw material for me to work out in my writing?

I'm curious if any of you have similar experiences with your dreams. Do you have periods of time when your dreams take a different direction? Have you found inspiration from your dreams? When I wake up, the images stay with me for a little while. Then I go off to run around the house and forget about them. I think I better keep a pad of paper next to the bed so I can jot down what I remember.

Of course, my techie husband doesn't dream, so he declares that I "think too much" even in my dreams. Considering how tired I am each night, I kind of agree with him. Even in my dream world, my mind is running all over the place :)

Blogging Rookie

I really look forward to blogging each day. This is an easy way to share opinions, insights and images in a welcoming format. I'm so impressed by all the interesting, creative blogs that are out there. Visually, many of the blogs just blow me away. I love the way they are organized. I like that these creative bloggers know how to "charm" the reader with wonderful images and witty quotes. I'm a true rookie to this process, and I want to jazz up my blog as soon as possible. It looks like I have a good amount of blogging homework ahead of me. I'll try and squeeze my self-directed blogging "tutorials" in between a couple of batches of laundry : ) Housework can be a tough taskmaster some days :)

Thanks to all you great bloggers! I'm looking forward to learning as much as I can.

Pretend Play with my three year old

Watching my three year old use her imagination is always a joy. Pretend play is such a great way for young children to nourish their budding creativity. New ideas or variations on a game seem to come so naturally for young children during pretend play. It has often been commented on how a child's experience is so pure and direct. When involved in pretend play, I watch as my daughter embellishes and edits her story about a character or event from her imagination. She shows no hesitation or doubt as she happily goes on with her "story". If prompted, she can jump right back into that storyteller mode even after a couple of days. The experience stays fresh and alive for her. Taking the time to play and listen to her is also an educational experience for me. As a kind of "muse", my three year old daughter reminds me to release my "little girl imagination" so my stories can have that same purity and wonder.

Our children's young years are filled with a focused imagination and unbridled curiosity. Our interactions, experiences and artistic expressions would be so refreshed by renewing our commitment to find that imaginative child once again within all of us.

My three year old is now calling for me to help find the captured princess. She said that she knows how to get past the crocodile moat. I'm all ears!

Kids Need to be Writers

Writing well is such an essential skill for personal and professional success. I am afraid that today's kids are not practicing writing enough or building on their creative writing skills. Texting has become kids' main way to communicate these days. This shorthand approach to communication is probably going to have a significant effect on their ability to clearly communicate in writing not only in school, but also in business. There are so many great teachers who work diligently to get kids excited about writing. Wouldn't it be great if a collaborative writer's workshop period was added to each student's school day? All kids would benefit from the daily opportunity to express, create and communicate. A dedication to writing can lead a student writer's confidence soaring in both the classroom and social life.

I think that parents have to strongly support, encourage and praise their children's writing efforts. In partnership with creative, enthusiastic teachers, the involved parent gets the chance to "hear" their children's voices in sharing and discussing writing.

Even though I love to write, I know that my older children write only what is necessary to pass an assignment. I hope that some of my excitement about writing rubs off on them someday. We'll see!