When you’re sleep-deprived, everything seems to slow down; the blinking lights, cars driving by, even the voices of people around you. You experience every moment in an eternal void, and if you ever do wake up, you have no idea how long you’ve been asleep because everything feels the same – it’s like you’ve been missing for an hour or so. When this happens to me, I sometimes find myself writing about it. Here are some examples of how I would describe falling asleep and what elements would be important for a good literary piece.
Mixed Feelings
There are many mixed emotions that accompany sleep deprivation. You may feel elated that you finally managed to get some much needed rest, or on the other hand, you may feel frustrated that there’s no such thing as a clear-cut night’s sleep. Most of the time, I felt a combination of both. For example, I would lie in bed feeling excited about the prospect of a good night’s sleep, but once I actually started settling down, the stress and anxiety would kick in and ruin any chance of getting a decent night’s sleep. In my opinion, a good writer would do well to highlight these mixed feelings and display them in a subtle and nuanced way.
Internal Dialogue
While you’re asleep, you’re in a dream world, and your subconscious mind is doing its best to process all the stimuli around you. This is a golden opportunity for your mind to wander and play tricks on you – it’s the best time for mental masturbation if you will. Your dialogue with yourself will look and sound different from your everyday conscious thoughts, and for this reason, you should experiment with how you would talk to yourself if you were in a dream world. Of course, your subconscious will not always respond the same way you’d want it to and you should feel free to correct any wrong assumptions it makes. You can challenge its conclusions and bring your conscious thoughts back to the fore.
Ambiance
Think about the last dream you had before you were woken up by the alarm clock. If you’re like me, you’ll probably remember a lot about the dream with little details that give the story away. For example, maybe you were in a dimly lit room, or maybe the room looked spacious and airy. The ambiance of the room will make a difference on how your mental faculties feel when you wake up and how you process information when you’re in your dream state. For this reason, you should work to create a mood for your characters as they sleep – whether you choose to go for an eerie and spooky atmosphere or something more whimsical. A good writer will do well to create the perfect atmosphere for their stories whether they are actually real or fictional.
Progression
In a dream, time seems to stand still allocating new experiences to the forefront of your mind. In the moments before you snap out of your dream state and into reality, you will find your body still in the same place for a second before you jump up to start your day. This is a great chance to build tension – it’s one of the things that makes for good storytelling. This jump, however, can feel more like an awakening than a start to another day. Once you’ve gotten out of your bed and started getting dressed, you will notice that every moment feels like it’s been slowed down. This jump from sleep to reality is an excellent setting for a surrealistic dream – an author could really play with that concept and give it a whole new dimension. For this reason, you should strive to include those little details that will take the reader/listener out of reality – details that will spark their imagination and make them feel as if they’ve stepped into a dream world.
Whether you choose to write a short story, a novella, or an entire novel, you have unlimited potential in how you could write about falling asleep and these things I have discussed. Don’t be afraid to try new things – after all, that’s how you find your voice and find the stories that matter to you. And above all, don’t be discouraged if your writing doesn’t come easily to you. With a little bit of effort, you can certainly polish it and make it better – like anything else in life, with enough practice, this too can become a talent you’re truly proud of.