The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-07-18
THE IDEAS OF DREAMLANp.
a Writer Who Finds Them Only
Pinusible but Empty Eakes


Pinusibie but Empty Fakes.
Livery one has read at times of sto-
ries or ideas for invention the result
or Dreams" said we'll known writer
who has produced number of clever
humorous short stories and several
books. DO not be taken In by them,
my boy. The ideas Of dreamland are
only plausible but empty fakes.
Most Of my writing is done at night
after the family has retired and the
house Is quiet. When finish my york.
l go to bed. be 1t or o'clock in the
morning, with my brain at the boiling
point. Then plunge at once into
dreamland. / don't know the way
there or bow to get back, but I always
manage to return, probably piioted by
a crazy Idea.
"In drea inland l get more ideas for
good stories than I could write In a
thousand years IL I were>- ambidex-
trous-that Is, when I dream them
they are good. AS / dream l say to
myself: Oh, IL were only awake. thlt
I might jot this down! This is the
bes: idea have had In year. What
a corking story 1t would make! But
I'll be sure to forget 1t when I wake
up.
"One night In dream made up my
mind to remember q certain story
had dreamed and write 1t as soon as
got up in the morning while it wns still
wildly impressed, in all it's humorous
details, on my mind. Following this,
with the suddenness Of the turn OF q
kaleidoscope, came a dream In which
II a Win
ence with purple mastOdon with long
shining gold tusks, Of which was
trying to rob him to make q gun rack
for the reception hall. forgot all
about the previous good story. knew
that I was forgetting 1t, and In my
puny struggle with the mastodon l
made q violent mental effort to retain
the story and ut the same time secure
the tusks. Just as got the better Of
the mastodon I awoke and tried to
think Of the story that might get up
and make copious notes Of 1t. But the
story was clear gone, and the mastodon
incident was SO utterly foolish that
turned over in disgust and went to
sleep again.
zone night l dreamed a most excru-
clatingly funny story about the advcil-
ture Of character called Fiddlesticks.
AS dreamed it reckoned 1t at about
5000 words and knew every word Of
1t, so that had been awake I could
have written it word for word as it oc-
Cured In the dream. 1t was great, and,
knowing my weakness Of forgetting
my dream stories, resolved to rcmem-
Der 1t. did remember it in the morn
woo f1Io
silly stuff in the world. That is al
ways the way with dream ideas.
"Again dreamed q story. This was
the best Of all AS I dreamed it
thought what sensation it would pro-
duce apd what reputation it would
bring me. The story was complicated,
yet simple and such plot as the most
ingenious intrigucr could hardly pro-
duce. 1t was full Of situations both
humorous and pathetic, and the dia-
logue was witty, crisp and convincing
If I could only make notes Of this
said 1, I would be all right, for 1 am
sure to forget it by morning. Just then
had pad Of paper before me aud n
pencil In my hand. I worked away
feverishly making copious notes Of ev-
erything and elaborate descriptions Of
the persons in the story. Now said I,
I'LL fool the dream demon this time
Then I fell into q calm sleep. When I
awoke and while half asleep thought
Gf those notes.. Where had put them?
I got up and searched every where, but
could not find them. hnd q hazy,
tantalizing memory OF the details of
the story, but must have the notes I
had made to write 1t as-I had dreamed
1t. i searched everywhere in an agony
Of apprehension ut their loss. Then
woke up again and found that the
notes and the search for them had both
been dreams.
"My dream stories give me more
trouble than those that conceive and
write while awake. They seem so good
WHEN / dream them, but while dream
ing know that they will be utterly Inn
possible and ridiculous when wake.
Don't believe these stories Of great
works coming out OF dreams. When
one Ia dreaming. the brain :s oH On
harlequin holiday--a carnival OF SEEM
ingly sane insanities,"-r1ewY York Her
aid