Writing prompt: To sleep, to sleep, perchance to dream

Koala asleep in the Australian Reptile Park

As the years encroach I find that more and more frequently I am in need of sleep. I can be reading a book and I slip off into noddy land; it doesn’t matter how interesting the book is either.

Or I can be working at my computer hammering out my latest best-seller, er… make that my first best-seller as I haven’t had one yet, and I will nod off into slumberland.

Trying to watch the news of some other interesting show on television is often fatal too, because sleep often creeps in and I don’t see the end of the show.

It can be quite frustrating. In all seriousness, my wife tells me that I frequently have a sleep apnoea problem. On advice from my doctor I have an appointment at a sleep clinic in a few weeks’ time and I hope that will indicate what needs to be done to solve this problem.

But I digress.

The koala in the picture above shows a koala enjoying a nap. Koalas often sleep for 18 to 20 hours a day. Bliss. I think I’ll become a koala, but the downside is that I would get very little writing and reading done. Perhaps I would finish off a few writing projects if I reversed the koala’s sleep regime: sleep for 4 – 6 hours and write for 18 – 20 hours a day.

Writing prompts:

• Write a story about a koala’s dreams.
• Write a story based on one of your dreams.
• Write a story about a dream you would like to have.
• Write a poem in praise of sleep.
• Research the sleep patterns of your favourite animals or birds and write an article based on your research.
• Write a story in which animals feature in your dreams.
• Write a limerick about someone who can’t sleep.
• Write a story in which you cannot sleep for months on end. What do you do to fill in the time?
• Write a story about two fictitious characters who only meet in your dreams. You can be a part of the dream too.
• Describe the places you find it easy to fall asleep.
• Describe the routines you include in your day to help get a good night’s sleep.

Good writing, good sleeping and goodnight.

Photo credit: Taken during a family visit to the Australian Reptile Park near Gosford north of Sydney. © Trevor Hampel