How to Solve Story Problems While You Sleep

I’m fortunate that storytelling comes easily to me. When I sit down to write, I seem to open a creative channel to my muse, listen, and transcribe what I hear. In doing so, I often slip into a meditative state where an hour passes in what feels like only a few minutes. When I read what I’ve written, I’m amazed at the quality of my first draft. I don’t believe I’m some creative genius; it’s more likely it’s easier for me to turn off my conscious mind and allow my subconscious out to play.

At times, though, I find myself at an impasse where my muse is mum. I reach a fork in the road of the story, and I have doubts about which path to take. Frustration gives the right of way to panic, and I know it’s time to take a break from my story.

If I perform a mundane or monotonous task, I can distract my conscious mind and allow my subconscious mind to mull over my next step. I’ve experienced a disproportionately large amount of eureka moments with stories while scrubbing my toilet.

I also find that taking a walk around the park near my home, a leisurely stroll through my neighborhood, or a hike on a local trail achieves a similar result. Nature provides a wonderful reset for the creative mind and soul.

In The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, Julia Cameron recommends taking a weekly Artist Date, which is a solo excursion to explore something that interests one. An Artist Date could be visiting a museum, enjoying a picnic at a lake, or even perusing a five and dime store to buy one’s inner child whatever it desires. In doing so, Cameron reports an Artist Date refills her creative well when discipline, inspiration, and motivation are depleted.

Over the past year, my favorite way to solve problems in my stories is to go to bed. I find telling myself I will receive the right answer to the question of what happens next in my plot while I sleep produces results. After a restful night, I often begin waking up about an hour or so before I normally get out of bed. As I lay in this half-awake dream state, the problematic scene in my head plays on the silver screen of my mind, and I discover what I need to do next. Sometimes I hear the characters speak what they need to say that I couldn’t hear the night before, while other times I see the characters take the action that is true to them and the story. On occasion, I experience a powerful emotion that serves as a compass to guide me to the authenticity of the scene. When I wake up, my muse suddenly has something to say again, and I rush to my laptop to write it down.

The next time you find yourself hitting a wall with your story, go to bed and sleep on it. Get a good night’s sleep and trust you’ll wake up with a solution.