What goes on in the brain during sleep interests me. I’m one of those people who enjoys rising early in the morning but also likes burning the midnight oil. Not good in terms of banking optimal sleep sessions. I’ve often complained about having to stop what I’m going to sleep.

But, I must admit to sometimes looking forward to the movies that traipse through my mind during sleep. Most of the scientific literature I’ve read, indicate nightmares can be a reflection of angst or unresolved issues in daily life. Maybe so, but as fun as it may sound to delve into my deep-seeded issues, I won’t tread into those murky waters.

Although I love writing and can’t picture a day when I’m not banging out a story, I find parts of my lifelong dream, stressful. Meeting deadlines, surviving critiques, obsessing over every word of every sentence, and simply trying to gain traction within the industry, has produced nights of frightful dreams.

Recently, I had a nightmare in which I was running away from a serial killer. I ended up taking shelter in a funeral home. I know, who just happens on a funeral home! The serial killer tracked me to my hiding place. I ran to the basement and ended up in a room with several empty coffins. When I heard the floor creak upstairs, I scanned the room for a way out and came up empty. Racing across the room, I jumped into a shiny dark blue casket. I shivered from the cold cushion. I thought maybe he wouldn’t venture downstairs. The swishing open of the basement door announced his impending presence. Taking another deep breath, I pulled the casket shut and plunged myself into darkness.

Then I woke up.

My heart was racing. It was one of those nightmares where just for a second after awakening, I thought I was still in the dream. After my pulse normalized, I thought wow—I’ve got to put that in a story!

I have postulated why I've had a certain dream or nightmare, but in some cases my conclusions were only guesses. I’ve also consulted dream analysis websites, which offered interesting reasons for a particular dream.

However, in the serial killer escape case, I’m going to chalk up that nightmare as a brainstorming session. As I jump into bed tonight I know nightmares really can be useful and devilishly fun!

What’s your scariest dream?