I've been having such weird, vivid dreams recently

[xiphias]

So, last night, I dreamed that I had EARLIER had a dream where I sold a collection of short stories and essays to Baen. And it was published. And it sold ONE COPY, which I had bought. . .

But, see, I dreamed that I had dreamed this dream just when I was falling asleep, and I believed it to be true. And that I'd had this dream just before Worldcon, and that I'd gone through Worldcon telling people that I was a published author. And in the dream I was having last night, I was realizing with a mounting sense of horror that I'd been lying to people. Because the whole thing about writing and selling a book and having it published, was, in the dream, only a dream.

So I was dreaming about having to tell people that I'd been lying to them, and, in various parts of the dream, different friends were helping me deal with it.

It was a strange and disturbing dream about having a dream and thinking it was real.

Comments

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

There's an anecdote I read once, and I'm racking (wracking?) my brains trying to remember who it was about. Some 19th century (or earlier) British author's first book sold not a single copy. Nary a one.

Lis might know the anecdote...

If you ever publish another collection in a dream, I'll be sure to buy a copy as well, so you'll have sold two.

[(Anonymous)]

Wow, Ian, great, creative, dreaming!

Was the author Robert Browning, perhaps? I don't know if links will work here, but try: http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/browning.htm

- Felis Sidus

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

I very much thought it was Browning, but I couldn't find the anecdote on a Google search. After all, how does one search for such a thing? Thanks for the pointer to this webpage; it was indeed Browning who was the subject of the anecdote.

[(Anonymous)]

You're welcome. Forgive me for answering a rhetorical question with an actual response, but... I found the page on Browning by searching Google for "sold not a single copy". I tend to be an optimist, and don't mind weeding through unrelated listings, so I'll search on just about anything. - Felis Sidus

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

Not really a rhetorical question, and thanks for the information. I searched using the strings "anecdote writer sold only one copy of his book", "anecdote writer sells only one copy of his book", "Robert Browning anecdote", and "Robert Browning selling one book." (You see, I was pretty sure it was Browning, but not sure enough to claim it was so here... and I somehow had misremembered, thinking he had managed to sell but one copy.)

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

By the way, Judy, meet Michael Burstein, one of my friends and mutiple Hugo-award nominee, and Michael, meet Judy, SF fan and Geek Not Directly Blood Related To Me Most Responsible for Me Growing Up Geeky.

Judy: Michael and Nomi Burstein are among the many reasons I think you really ought to start coming to science fiction conventions.

[cheshyre]

I just saw your Free Will Astrology horoscope and somehow it reminded me of this post.