I don't know how many writers have experienced the eerie reality of actually having dreams about large portions of their novels, but that's what happened as I wrote The Search For Truth. Call me crazy or call me insane if you choose. I'm only relating what happened.
     As I wrote on my page "The idea", I began wondering about a television crime drama and the main character's reaction after a terrible tragedy. I went to bed that night and lay there thinking about the script I'd write as a follow-up if I were a writer for that show. Some time after falling asleep, I had a dream about the plotline I'd created in my mind. Then, the next day, I wrote out a short story which showed the anger and grief the character in the television drama never expressed.
     Within a few days, I decided my short story could be used as a chapter within a larger story. It wasn't difficult for me to sit down and write an outline for the story both before and after the events in the shorter story. As I created very brief character profiles, I could close my eyes and picture how each person looked. I could see their physical body type, what style of clothing they'd be wearing, their facial expressions in given situations, and their little quirks. It took me a couple of days to write out enough background information to feel I was ready to begin my manuscript.
     Every day, I'd sit down with a notebook and pencil ready to write. It would often take ten or fifteen minutes to get started, but once I did, the story seemed to flow easily. Easily, that is, until I hit a snag, not knowing exactly why a particular character would react or why they reacted in a certain way. Those snags would hold me tight and I'd be forced to give up writing for the day. I'd lay in bed thinking about where I was stuck as I was drifting off to sleep. By morning, I'd know how to continue the story because I'd seen exactly how everything happened and why in a dream.
     Some people call that crazy. I call it an overactive imagination. Only time will tell if my imagination and dreams helped me create a story other people will want to read.