Going off Dreams

Book 1 Nightdreams

The first installment in the Going off Dreams Series

February 16, 2013

Behind the Scenes:

Trying to build relationships in life is hard enough, writing about them requires that you know a thing or two when dealing with complex characters.  Luckily for me, I grew up with a tight knit family.  I drew some of my life experience from the relationships I have, and have had.  Also, knowing the depth in character development that a real person goes through has to be just as evolved with the characters in a story. 

When you talk about character and behavior within a person (I know in my Psych classes) the age old debate surfaced: nature vs. nurture.  Through my studies I have learned that, as each and every one of us are unique, so is our life journey’s.  I don’t think it is necessarily one or the other, but a mix of the two.  So, I considered this when writing.  If a character is moody – why are they moody?  If someone is happy – why are they happy? 

Once I was finished writing my first draft, I went back through (now having the outlined story in my head) and could develop scenes and reactions in more depth.

Research and Development:

When writing about difficult experiences within a story, there are different options to explore.  You can draw from your own life experience, you can research on-line, or you can interview people that could give you testimony.  I believe, the most effective would be all of the above.  Depending on the context of your story and where you want the plots to lead, writing using your own experience alone might provide just a one dimensional perspective.

The Earth Realm

Once I kept editing (and proofing, yet again) I noticed that what was going on in the earth realm had similarities to the ‘dream’ realm.  When Alex is acting like a ‘beast’ is when the Minotaur attacks Avlov’s Maze.  I think this can be reflective of our own perceptions of reality.  If you cut out a capital M and place it on a table, people at the table might see it differently; it could look like a capital W – food for thought.

What challenges you most when you are writing?

Until the next time, or the next… dream.

K.E.Nowinsky