Dreaming up a new short story. (dream)

Image by Midjourney

A couple nights ago, I had a dream I keep thinking of.

Sometimes, I'll dream about my Lost Atlantis/Satyr Plays characters. Most of the time, it's not usable material for a real story. For example, I once had a dream that Sandi and Matt went to a movie, and when they came out, there was a giant octopus monster attacking the city. That just doesn't fit in with the universe I made for them in waking life.

But this time, I really wonder if I could use this for a story. 

The premise is simple: Shem decides to wear black eyeliner one day. Sandi goes bananas over it. She thinks it's incredible. Matt is uncomfortable about everything related to this. And the dream explores the social implications of this.  

Should I turn this into an actual short story? I am writing Satyr Plays 2. I've got the first or second drafts of about thirteen short stories right now. I just need a couple more stories to meet the same word count as the first Satyr Plays. 

It's weird to me that if you look at the stats, more people online seem more interested in the dramatic version, whereas the people I meet in real life seem to like my comedy better. 

Well, I have no time for either serious or silly creative hobbies, unfortunately. Every day this summer, I've been scrambling to do everything on my to-do list. Being busy often means I'll remember fewer dreams. If I go to sleep and wake up in a leisurely way, I can spend time laying in bed thinking of what I dreamed about, and can form my thoughts well enough to write them down.

Oh well. This dream diary was never really something I planned to do the way you plan and commit to a novel or a hobby. It just started to get interesting for me to explore my dreams and go back later to remember my life. I recommend trying it for yourself.