- If a dream feels just out of grasp after waking, roll over to a previous position and try going back into a dream.
- Keep a notebook and pen by the bed in case of waking in the middle of the night with a dream memory (or sleepwriting!), or being able to record it before sitting or standing.
- Write any impression, no matter how small: jumping in air … lightbulbs … a general sense of blue.
- Try to title dreams to capture a general impression: The Seismologist Roundtable, Hanging Beads in the House, Not George Clooney.
- When writing dreams, write in first person, present tense: I’m traveling with a few girlfriends and we stop at a roadside gourmet coffee house.
- Try to pull any specific details out as possible, such as numbers, dates, times, inscriptions, names, and such. A friend in the library said they were getting a ride in ten minutes. The time was 5:40 p.m.
The best part about keeping a dream journal has been the unexpected: waking to find a note I had written in my sleep of a dream image; discovering that my dreamer self is aware that my waking self keeps a journal and reminds her about details to remember; discovering that the secret to flying is simply remembering that it’s possible.
If you haven’t tried it, I invite you to. See what happens. Have fun. I’d love to read about what you discover here.
