Writers on how they write: Hilary Mantel

The Wall Street Journal had a great article last Friday: "How to Write a Great Novel", reflections by 11 novelists on how they approach writing. Since the article is subscription only, I'll feature one writer per day here, highlighting their process with a key excerpt from the article.

Today's writer is Hilary Mantel whose novels include "Fludd" and "An Experiment in Love".

British novelist Hilary Mantel likes to write first thing in the morning, before she has uttered a word or had a sip of coffee. She usually jots down ideas and notes about her dreams. "I get very jangled if I can't do it," she says.

I've read more than a few writers who have a habit of writing down their dreams, even keeping dream journals. I know when I'm deeply into a screenplay, I'll often dream in screenplay format, that is, I'll 'see' what's happening on one side of my dream, then see the words appearing as a script on the other.

Do you get story ideas from your dreams? Do you write down your dreams?