In your ‘notebook full of words’ do you record pieces of your subconscious? I wonder what your dreams look like and how much they influence the imagery of your writing.

Dear Irina,

Vicious killers had kidnapped Warren. The kidnappers had emailed me a list of demands. I had to write a letter back agreeing to their demands. The letter I was composing was in exactly the same format as a Red Hand Files issue, with the same blood red Cambria font, the same cream coloured background. The problem was I was having a technical issue formatting the letter. The letters kept scrambling. The font kept changing. The little red hand logo wouldn’t stand up. Time was running out. I woke up, shaking.

I had read your question regarding dreams before I went to sleep that night. Your question must have provoked this dream, as it is the first remembered dream I have had in a very long time.

We are professional dreamers. We work, therefore we dream.

I think there is a reason for this. As a songwriter, most of my waking life is spent in a kind of dream time. Many writers will tell you the same. We are professional dreamers. We work, therefore we dream. Even when I am not at my desk writing, and am going about my ‘normal’ life, the residual trails of the words I’ve been working on still weave around me like dreams.

For this reason, my actual dreaming while asleep does not feel particularly active. At least, not at the moment. I hardly ever remember anything I dream and if I do, images that are thrown up are rarely useful in my work. I never write them down.

Having said that, I wrote this dream down. It’s for you. Thank you for awakening it. I rang Warren. He seems to be okay.

Much love, Nick

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