Dreams- what are they good for?

Fenika · Jan 6, 2008

Hello. I know dreams have been discussed many times, but I'd like to get some feedback on them. In my novel my MC 'dreams' of voices that becomes very important later in the novel. While I just mention it in passing, I'm curious if I could go further with it.

So, most of ya'll would say that dreams aren't good as openings, or as entire stories, but how are they used effectively?

I can think of- foreshadowing, important flashbacks... and um, that's it

So does anyone have any detailed examples? What authors use dreams well and how? I think someone mentioned Gemmel, Legend...

If there is a thread specifically on this then my appologies and where is it?

Cheers,
Christina

Devil Ledbetter · Jan 6, 2008

There's a current thread here.

My opinion is that dreams are like anything else in a book. If it works, if it belongs in story, moves the plot forward or illuminates character, go ahead and include it.

I'd probably be annoyed if I read a long sequence in a story and it turned out to be "only a dream." However, I disagree with the notion that dreams should never be included, or that they can only be included if the plot has some metaphysical thing going. Be leery of black-and-white rules.

miles · Jan 6, 2008

Uh, just read the post How Long just below yours.

Also this one.

slcboston · Jan 6, 2008

Hmm... thought this would be a more general discussion about the writer's dreams and what they're good for.

I was all set to answer "reminding me not to eat pizza before going to bed."

Now I have to think about it...

Toothpaste · Jan 6, 2008

Yes, I think this thread was inspired by those other two threads. More of a general theoretical conversation on what dreams are good for.

I like dreams for setting a tone, or confusing the lines between reality and imagination. Great for insanity stories. But I like my dream sequences short, I find myself getting tired of them very quickly.

Fenika · Jan 6, 2008

Devil Ledbetter · Jan 6, 2008

Toothpaste said:
Yes, I think this thread was inspired by those other two threads. More of a general theoretical conversation on what dreams are good for.

I like dreams for setting a tone, or confusing the lines between reality and imagination. Great for insanity stories. But I like my dream sequences short, I find myself getting tired of them very quickly.

I have one in my book. It's not so much a dream, but a vision the character has under the influence of Thai stick. It's short (300 words), relevant to the story and metaphorical. From the outset it clear that it's a vision she's having and not reality.

It doesn't occur until about a quarter of the way into the novel.

Danger Jane · Jan 6, 2008

I have zero dreams in my book, but one flashback, which promotes both character and plot. And that is how dreams should be used, as well--not to create a false sense of tension that evaporates the moment the author says, "Oh thank God that was only a dream!!"

No. Not "thank God". More like, "Oh, crap, I better start making stuff happen for real!"

If your character is having dreams of being pursued, chances are the reader will assume your character is being pursued. But unless the dream-pursuit is actually dangerous....why do we have to see it?

When the lines of reality are blurred, dreams can work great. When they are a crutch for a lack of tension, they [can] come across as just that, a crutch, and a cheap trick to boot.

LaceWing · Jan 6, 2008

Some thriller I read a while ago had the MC bothered by dreams a lot. The reader got to guess what her deep problems were, and also what she had subliminally noticed while solving the crime. There were maybe 4 or 5 of them, something like that.

NicoleMD · Jan 6, 2008

I have a dream that my MC uses to sort out issues with his mother who is physically unavailable to him at the moment. It's clear from the beginning that he's dreaming, and strange incongruences occur as they often do in dreams. I gives him a chance to say to her what's been on his mind in a safe environment, and as a result he realizes things about himself. So I guess this would be an example of character development within a dream.

Nicole

vr88 · Jan 6, 2008

Terry Brooks used dreams in his Word/Void trilogy. The character John Ross has dreams which show him the terrible future he must prevent.

OverTheHills&FarAway · Jan 6, 2008

Dreams are a good way to reflect aspects of character that are hidden from the character himself--to force him to face up to these potentially painful things he's tried so hard to ignore.

That said, it's so easy to let dreams become a gimmick. Maybe because they've been abused so often in writing. It's so easy to fall back on them, as some lame device when we're too lazy to do it the right way.

I like brief mentions of dreams, perhaps a character mentioning a dream that bothered him the night before. Sometimes a light touch can mean so much more than a full-blown dream sequence.

lfraser · Jan 6, 2008

I've got one dream sequence in my WIP and I've been agonizing over it for months -- should I leave it in, is it too cliche, is it just fake tension? I've left it in for now because I think it's essential to the character, who is plagued with terrible obsessions and delusions. It'll be interesting to see how I react to the dream sequence when I start to edit.

otterman · Jan 6, 2008

As OverTheHills&FarAway said, dreams are an effective way of revealing the emotional state of a character. In my WIP a character has a nightmare in which he is confronted by his wife who has been murdered. It (hopefully) reveals the sense of guilt he feels for not saving her. As a device, I really think dreams have to provide the reader with an insight into a character or events rather than simply dump information.

Dreams- what are they good for?

Fenika

Devil Ledbetter

Come on you stranger, you legend,

miles

agent at The Knight Agency

slcboston

Pasture-ized

Toothpaste

THE RECKLESS RESCUE is out now!

Fenika

Devil Ledbetter

Come on you stranger, you legend,

Danger Jane

LaceWing

NicoleMD

Onomatopotamus

vr88

OverTheHills&FarAway

McNifico

lfraser

Bored and Frantic

otterman

Word Voyeur