Dream a Short Story?

Do you ever have a dream that is so “real” that it stays with you the next day? I’ve had one in the last week and am actually writing it up as a short story. Many of my ideas are in my head upon awakening. I think the subconscious continues to work on stories and articles, even poems, as I sleep. My biggest roadblock to being an established writer is the fear of failure that I tote around with me. I am an educator, and a good one. I am very sure of myself in that climate. I know I can teach. I believe I can write. Others have told me I was a good writer, but were they just being kind? With a day job, a paycheck is inevitable. As a free lance writer, it is not. It’s scary to think of leaping so far from what I have done for many years to see if I can make a living doing something new. But if ever the time were nigh, it is now. There are many things I’ve written. I read about a woman who self published on Amazon. Surely if she could figure out how to do that, I can? Part of the problem is I have so many things partly done. I’ve got three partial books written. I’ve been called “scatter brained” by someone whose opinion I do not value, but I do find that my ability to focus exclusively on one topic is difficult. Now I’m finding myself going from book to book writing and trying to complete all three. Meanwhile, I wake up with short stories swirling through my head and also need to take time to write them down. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained” comes to mind. It’s way past time to venture.