Ever wake up from a dream that felt almost like a story?

Strange details, wild emotions — and somehow your 4th-grade teacher was there, judging your choices.

In this episode of Promptwell: The AI Joy Lab, we’ll explore how to turn dream fragments into creative material.

Instead of asking what dreams mean, what if we asked what they’re becoming?

Using AI as a creative partner, we’ll hand the same dream to ChatGPT twice — once as a reflective memoir, and once as an urban fantasy. You’ll see how the exact same hallway transforms from grounded emotion to cinematic magic, depending on the genre and tone you choose.

Because here’s the truth: AI isn’t here to replace imagination. It reflects it.

✨ What You’ll Learn:

1. How the same idea can tell two completely different stories.

2. How AI can act as a mirror for your subconscious creativity.

3. A simple framework for using AI to explore dreams, ideas, or memories.

💭 The Prompts (used in this episode):

• Biographical Style: Write the first two opening paragraphs and the final paragraph of a short story based on a dream where I was running down a long hallway that never seemed to end. Write it as a personal reflection — something you might find in a memoir. Keep the tone grounded and realistic. Describe the events clearly and emotionally honestly, but avoid fantasy or surreal elements.

• Urban Fantasy Style: Write the first two opening paragraphs and the final paragraph of a short story based on a dream where I was running down a long hallway that never seemed to end. Write it as an urban fantasy. Make it vivid, cinematic, and a little unsettling — like a lucid dream that knows you’re watching. Let the hallway stretch, breathe, and shift. Use sensory language, metaphor, and impossible imagery to make the world feel alive and emotionally real.

🪶 Build Your Own Dream Decoder Prompt:

1. Pick one strong image from your dream — that’s your anchor.

2. Choose a writing style or genre — memoir, gothic romance, urban fantasy, fable.

3. Add a creative twist — sensory language or motifs typical of that genre.

(You can even ask AI, “What are the common traits of this genre?” and build your prompt together!)

💡 Quiet Part (from the episode):

“Dreams don’t always need to be understood. Sometimes, they just want to take shape. Maybe that’s all creation ever is — remembering in a different form.”

🎧 Your Turn:

Try the prompts yourself and share your favorite line or image in the episode Q&A. I might feature it in next week’s story roundup!

Promptwell’s AI Joy Lab — small experiments in joy, powered by AI.

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