The WIP has a lot of dream scenes. As a reader, I hate a lot of italicized text, but this is how the story needs to be told. So I cringe as I type these scenes, trying to keep them as short as possible and still get across what I need to put out there. At least I've managed to keep these to a minimum--I've written two so far, I think. Maybe three. The thing is that one way or the other--conscious flashback or dream--it has to be in italics.
At least I've been able to avoid dialect. That's when the writer spells words so they sound like the character is pronouncing them. This is another thing I hate as a reader, especially if there's a lot of it. Wyatt is from Texas, but I've limited myself to dropping the "g" at the end of "darling," and mentioning his drawl, rather than mutilating his dialogue to show his accent. I've also had a friend who's southern check my phrasing to make sure when I'm in Wyatt's point of view, that he sounds legit. Not that I've overdone the southern phrases either. I think when a writer does that, she creates a caricature, not a character.
Now comes the part about lucid dreaming. Do you ever have those dreams where as you're dreaming, you realize you're you even though you don't look like you? I've had dreams like that all my life, but I was talking to a friend of mine and she said she's never had a dream like that. It's not important to the scene, that Kendall realize she's herself yet not herself, so I'm cutting that sentence, but it made me curious. Once, I believed that everyone had stories in their head and it never occurred to me that others didn't until someone said it. This was another one of those moments for me, that's why I'm asking the question. I just thought everyone had dreams where they knew they looked different than in real life.
I have done lucid dreaming, and by that I mean actually controlling the outcome/events in the dream. It's so cool! Of course, I haven't done it in a while, but then I only remember my dreams when I'm rested and I am absolutely exhausted right now. My goal is to be in bed as close to 9pm as I can manage tonight.
To Do List Items Accomplished: 2
MN Weather Report: 39 degrees. Brrr.
