English 101

“Dreams Converted to Reality”

In “The Symbolic Language of Dreams”, Stephen King speaks in depth about his writing process. King has written over fifty novels and sold over three hundred and fifty thousand copies worldwide. Most of us cringe at the thought of re-living some of our worst nightmares, but that’s not the case for novelist Stephen King. He uses his dreams and nightmares to sculpt his stories to his liking. King believes that dreams are the way our minds translate the nature or solution to our problems, and speaks in depth about this connection with his writing process. In “The Symbolic Language of Dreams”, Stephen King reveals that writing and dreaming are closely correlated, and writers prefer routine to achieve a semi-dreaming state. King uses dreams extensively in his writing process. He believes that dreams have a precognitive effect on the story and uses those experiences to bring the eerie feelings to life in his novels. When he was writing “IT”, King reveals that he came to a halt in writing, and needed to come up with something. He fell asleep and had a very scary nightmare; he awoke terrified and delighted, all at the same time. It would be safe to say that we’ve all had dreams reflecting on a current situation or problem, especially ones that weigh on us the heaviest. We can draw a conclusion to our problems from dreams, which is also what he relates to his readers. King describes the writing process similar to digging up an artifact, all of the materials are already on his mind; he just has to extract what parts he needs and where to put them. He does not believe that we have a separate subconscious and consciousness, as a result, King asserts. “In a Freudian sense, I don’t think there is any subconscious and unconscious where things are going on. I think consciousness is deep like the ocean. Whether you’re an inch deep below the surface or whether you’re down a mile and a half deep, it’s all water. It’s all H2O” (7). King speaks on what the human psyche can present; sometimes it is a great idea but only within the borders of our mind. He uses the metaphor of an exploded fish, because some fish are confined to the deeper part of the ocean, or the mind in this situation. This metaphor works so well for the reader, as far as being able to relate a visual to his metaphor. Most of our thoughts are just basic surface thoughts, yet we have deep, deep thoughts floating through the depths of our complex minds. Some of these thoughts can come to the surface and still be intact, and effective. Some thoughts can’t make it to the surface, and deteriorate upon retrieval. King refers to this “state” which brings about the perfect breeding ground for dreams and deep imagination. We are always in some form of dream state, just at deeper, more complex levels at times. Many writers marvel at the analysis of their dreams, in the book “Writers Dreaming: 26 Writers talk about their dreams”, by Naomi Epel, a variety of authors speak about the connection and use of dreams in writing. Many writers keep a dream diary, and keep books on dream interpretation and of course a few by Sigmund Freud. Some authors use a style of writing that involves a stream of consciousness, and is viewed by some writers as a main route to higher reality.
Most writers adopt a routine to prepare, or to continue writing. King divulges that part of his function as a writer is to acquire a dream-like state while awake (8). This would be allowing your mind to run rapid within imagination, reaching a dream-like state. Routine plays a fundamental part in helping your mind become relaxed enough to acquire this trance like state, any distractions could hinder the process. Therefore, he adds,
I know that there are certain things I do when I sit down to write: I have a glass of water or I have a cup of tea. There’s a certain time I sit down, around eight o’clock…….I have my vitamin pill, I have my music, I have my same seat, and my papers are all arranged in the same places. The cumulative purpose of doing those things everyday seems to be a way of telling your mind: you’re going to be dreaming soon. (9)
He points out that his pillows must be pointed the same way, which says shows that his routine needs to be unmistakably redundant in order to achieve his goal. People in all professions can use routine and redundancy to their advantage. We’ve all been “working” at one point or another, but in a zoned out state of mind. When we are running wild with imagination, it’s very similar to experiencing a vivid dream, which is why King claimed they have to be related. E.B White, author of “Charlotte’s Web” states, “A writer who waits for ideal conditions to work will die without putting a single word on the paper.” Writers develop their own routines that aid in generating ideas and stories, the most important part of routine is writing every day. Dreams can be very instrumental in any writing process. Some dreams stick with us forever and some of them disintegrate upon our eyelids opening. King talks about his writing process for “Salem’s Lot”, which he claims to be the most profound examples of dreams converted to reality. This was a nightmare that he had at nine years old, but still remembers this dream vividly as an adult. The unconscious mind retains so much information and many memories that the average person can access. We can sometimes have dreams of regression, which will renew those past memories, even if only for a few moments. King also speaks on how fast this process can go, because you have infinite possibilities, with characters, locations, etc.
For me, once an actual creation starts, writing is like a high speed version of the flip book you have when you’re a kid, when your mix and match. The cover of the book will say, “You Can Make a Thousand Faces!”…..Dreams are just one of those flip strips that you can flip in there. But they also work in terms of advancing the story.
. Dreams allow hidden information to be revealed. When the answers to our problems are revealed in our dreams, which is your subconscious leading you in the right direction, so I guess it’s safe to say it’s effective in writing also. Stephen King enlightened us to his writing process, involving piecing his dreams within reality to produce many chilling thrillers. He is very instrumental with his metaphors, leading the reader in the proper directions of a visual to relate to. Routine also plays a big role in obtaining these dreams, whether its deep sleep or the “dream like state” writers crave. In “The Symbolic Language of Dreams”, Stephen King reveals that writing and dreaming are closely correlated, and writers preference is routine, to achieve a semi dream state”.