Dream a little dream : an honors creative project (HONRS 499)

Abstract

My Honors Creative Project consists of four short stories I have written or revised throughout this semester. Each story contains an example of personal experimentation in writing style and reflects one of several contexts with which dreams can be associated.My first story, "Thunderstorms, Waterfalls, and Red Red Rain," was influenced by my Women's Literature and Canadian Women's Literature courses where violence toward women was prevalent in the readings. My desire to write about this aspect of literature influenced me to revise this story as an experiment in writing about issues that concern women. In this story, the dream is significant because of the foreshadowing aspect it portrays."Caitlin and the Scarf with Forty Shades of Green" includes dreams that are both negative and positive predictions of the future. Inspired by an Honors Colloquium in fairy tales and folk lore, my first attempt at writing in this genre includes such characteristics of as a moral lesson, the mystical connection between an old woman and a young girl, and a Prince falling in love with a commoner.In the next two stories, dreams are revelations about the characters. Flashbacks and dreams divulge the protagonist's innermost desires in "If" and disclose hidden truths in "Nightmare." Both stories also include experimentation in the usage of verb tense inspired by Margaret Laurence's The Diviners. Present tense is used in the flashback and dream sequences to add to the suspense and empathy felt by the reader.These experimentations in writing found throughout my collection of short stories made this creative project challenging. I was able to expand upon my creative writing process and enjoyed doing so. I plan to continue editing and revising these stories and wish to apply the new techniquesI have learned to future exercises. The context of dreams not only plays a large part in our lives, but also provides the writer with a vast range of ideas that I look forward to exploring further.