How a dream journal helped Hong Kong student Chloe Lo improve her creativity and writing skills
The Pui Tak Canossian College student started writing down all her dreams to help her remember them, but she gained much more than stories to look back on
A dream journal can help improve both creativity and writing skills.We all have dreams when we sleep, some more often than others. But whether it’s of running late to class, landing in your favourite Disney movie, or bumping into your celebrity crush, the sad fact is we most likely forget what happened in our dream by midday.
Chloe Lo, however, has made a habit of writing about each of her exciting dreams in a journal. After waking up from a dream (or, indeed, a nightmare), the 13-year-old will record the details and include a picture. She does this so that she won’t forget them later.
Chloe says she also heard that if you write down your dream, you might be able to control them next time. “I’d really like to be able to do that,” she says. The Pui Tak Canossian College student tries to capture exactly what her dream looked like in her drawings. “I do usually remember them,” says Chloe.
If you read her journal, you’ll notice she writes everything in first person. “I write this way because it is very private to me. If I write from [my own point of view] it feels more familiar,” she explains. Reading Chloe’s dream journal is like reading a storybook with a variety of adventures for everyone to enjoy.
Her journal’s cover is cute and funny at the same time. It is pink with flowers around the edges and a drawing of a sheep on it with the words “silly fox” above it.
She said she chose it because her favourite colour is pink, and she also liked that there was a sheep on it – that’s because they say you should try to count sheep if you’re trying to fall asleep.
Keeping a dream journal has had a great impact on Chloe, “Since I want to remember as much of my dream as possible, I need to write them down very quickly [before I forget]. This has helped to improve my writing speed,” she says.
She also tries to write in as much detail as she can, which she says has helped her improve her overall writing skills. Chloe thinks all students should keep a dream journal like she does, saying it would improve their writing and drawing skills. “They will also be able to relive their dreams and experience them again whenever they want.”
Chloe adds that writing down dreams would be especially good for aspiring writers. “You never know what you might dream of. It can be something new that nobody has ever thought of, and could be something people would like to read!”
Edited by Nicole Moraleda
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