I often feature dreams in my books and have done so in my latest novel, Born Bad. I find that dreams can be an effective way to add drama or to convey the emotional turmoil being experienced by a certain character.

What are Dreams and why do we have them?

Nobody is really sure as to the real purpose of dreams although several theories have been put forward as to why we have them.

Sigmund Freud’s theory was that dreams are, “…disguised fulfillments of repressed wishes.” He suggested that the conscious mind does not allow us to express certain aggressive and sexual desires. These are therefore expressed through the subconscious mind in the form of dreams.

Carl Jung, on the other hand, believed that every dream has a meaning behind it and that we are all able to interpret our own dreams.

Analysing Dreams

Many theorists believe that analysing your dreams enables you to understand yourself better. There is a lot of literature on the subject, which is far too vast to cover in a blog post. However, much of the literature contains tips on how to remember your dreams, details of the common types of dreams and an interpretation of what various types of dreams mean. Here are some links if you wish to find out more on the subject:

https://psychcentral.com/lib/how-to-analyze-your-dreams-and-why-its-important/

https://psychcentral.com/lib/the-transformative-power-of-dreams/

http://www.dreamdictionary.org/dreaming/meaning-of-dreams/

http://www.dreamdictionary.org/dreaming/

Dreams in Literature

Over the centuries dreams have been used to good effect in literature. Some examples spring to mind straightaway, such as:

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Shakespeare

1984 by George Orwell

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

But, of course, there are many others that you might be familiar with. Here’s an example of my own taken from my latest book, Born Bad, which is due to launch on 1^st July:

“Adele’s sleep was sporadic and strange thoughts raced around in her head. She pictured the faces of the judge and members of the jury. Then they would fade and be replaced by others; her school teacher speaking to her. ‘I want that essay handed in in six months. Six months, Adele. You’ve got six months,’ he kept repeating. And her classmates sat around her and gasped.

Then a disturbance broke her sleep. In her semi-conscious state she heard the sound of raised voices. Her heart was racing. She sat bolt upright listening for other sounds. Her father yelling. Her mother pleading. Then nothing. Still semi-conscious, she drifted back off to sleep. Back to the nightmares. Prisons. People scowling at her. And her mother in tears.”

As I get nearer to the 1^st July launch date of my latest novel, Born Bad, I’ll be sharing excerpts and details of my blog tour. In the meantime, bye for now and sweet dreams.

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