I'm not a PB writer or reader, so I can't speak to the specific format or the rules for it...
But I've never been fond of the "no dream opening, ever!" rule. I'm on several crit sites, and anytime anyone veers even within the vicinity of a dream or waking up or going to sleep on the first page, six or seven reviewers will harp up with chorus of "agents auto-reject dream openings."
But then, on some sites, agents will actually comment on the page and they don't say "Yes, I auto-reject dream openings." They always have some other critique that made the story a no-go. So who knows?
It might be a hard sell--but what isn't these days? Does it work or doesn't it? I think that's the important thing.
More than just taking the rule at face value, I like to think about the underlying issues:
~ I've heard that starting with a dream is often boring--the dream sequence drags, and how much do you really want to know about someone else's dream, anyway?
~ It's often irrelevant to the plot--inexperienced writers will often throw a dramatic, action-packed dream onto the first page to create a false sense of tension, despite the dream having nothing to do with the story.
~ It's sometimes confusing--world building details in the dream don't translate to the story's reality.
~ It's a false start--the reader thinks this is reality and becomes invested in the characters and problems only to discover that the real story has another start entirely, and the reader has to scramble to readjust.
~ It's a letdown--the drama of the dream is more interesting than the rest of the mundane "get ready for school" chapter.
~ It's a poor focus--I've heard agents say they'd rather see the MC interacting with their own world and problems so they can get to know the MC, rather than watch them play out something in a contrived dream.
I think if your start doesn't do any of that, then you're probably okay going with it. What does it hurt to give it a try?
