The strange world of my dreams

Yesterday (when all my troubles seemed so far away etc.), I was doing some editing of the new tvdetective book, and working in particular on a dream sequence.

I don't put many of these in the series, just the odd specimen, and usually to illustrate some kind of anxiety or fear.  I don't know if that's because I think they can be overdone in books, or whether there's something deeper going on.  I am a vivid dreamer, and sometimes the visitations of the night can stay with me for days or even weeks.  I wonder if that means I'm a little intimidated by them?

When I was at university for example, I had a recurring dream at the end of the first year that I was going to die. Now, as you'll notice, it didn't actually come to pass.  Perhaps it was some kind of a metaphor, maybe for the end of one part of life - I was going through a very  emotional teenage type break up with my first real love at the time - but it did leave me fearful of sleeping for quite a while.

So, what's prompted this particular ramble is as follows.  To this day, even 20 years and more on from last taking an exam, I still suffer a recurring nightmare.  I see myself in an exam hall, turning over the paper, and being unable to answer any questions whatsoever.  It's horrid, and invariably leaves me waking up breathless.

There's an even worse variation, which my strange mind must reserve for the most angst-ridden of occasions. That has me in the exam hall, as before, and still unable to answer any questions, but this time I've even forgotten to put some trousers on.

Further into that I don't think I should go...

Anyway, back to the point, which regular readers of these meanderings know I'll probably get round to sooner or later, and it's this - last night, I managed a lovely new variation on the school / exam type nightmare.

I was with Mum and Dad at a Parents' Evening, and every single teacher they went to see gave me a look like thunder, then launched into a far less than complimentary analysis of my attitudes and abilities.

I've been doing a little attempting to interpret that dream this morning, and have come to the conclusion I'd better stop!  But some of it might just seep into the new book.  It would, after all, be a shame to waste such strangeness...

One final thing to mention here; if you're in Yeovil on Saturday and at a loose end, do pop into Waterstone's and come and say hello.  I'm doing a book signing for a couple of hours and it'd be a pleasure to see you.  There are more details on the News and Events page  - www.thetvdetective.com/news.html