In our playwriting workshops, we encourage journal writing as a way of developing both discipline and new ideas. Try the following:
Think about a dream that you recently had or one that is particularly memorable.
Close your eyes for a moment and try to recall this dream in as much detail as you can.
Was it in color or black and white?
What language was it in?
Were you observing yourself or was the dream from your point of view as if you were living it?
Did the world of the dream have a reality different than that of “real life,” for example: did people possess magical powers, behave in an “other worldly” manner?
STEP 1 - Write out this dream in a narrative form.
STEP 2 - Read over your descriptive paragraphs. Answer the following:
What do you think this dream reveals about you?
What do you think your general state of mind was when you had this dream (anxious, content, depressed, etc.)?
What do you think provoked this dream?
STEP 3 - How might you use this knowledge in developing a character or the world of a play?
