Write it down

I woke up yesterday morning at about 2:45 after dreaming an incredibly exciting and life-like dream. I laid in bed thinking that that would make a great short story, or who knows, maybe even a mystery novel. I concentrated on the details so I wouldn't forget. Why didn't I get up and write them down? Hey, it was 2:45 in the morning - I was tired. Actually, I should have known better - I did know better and chose to ignore it. I used to do that and don't know why I broke out of the habit. Pure laziness on my part, I guess. Hell, I should've gotten up and headed straight for the computer. I was pretty wide awake by then anyway. Instead I just lay there. Finally, after memorizing all the details I went back to sleep and woke up around 6:30. I'd had a couple of dreams about my old job that only Freud (and maybe my ex-boss) might find interesting, but no big whoop for me. The first thing that I thought of was trying to remember that first dream. I remembered the basics - it was a reality TV show where groups of people were offered plots of land. (Maybe I dismissed the job dream too readily.) Somehow the intricacies that had made it so exciting and memorable faded with the new bout of sleep. Oh yeah, two groups had started to fight and there was a murder? A little more interesting but I still had a hard time trying to put it all together. At three a.m. I remembered who and why. I knew what they looked like and their personalities. As for when I got up - nothing.

By the time I finished brushing my teeth and taking a shower, it had faded to an incredibly lame idea. I wish I had written it down at 2:45. Who knows? The next Edgar winner might've just flitted through my brain (as semiconscious as it was, and maybe still is).

In the meantime I spent an unproductive day working on my present novel. Flashes of the dream turned into a distraction as I either tried to bury it or resurrect it. Neither one worked. After berating myself I got a pen and pad of paper, along with a small reading light, and placed it next to the alarm clock. When I went to bed I was ready. Instead, insomnia decided to make its return.