First Chapter Dream Cliche

I think the whole "beginning with a dream cliche" is usually "forbidden" not because people hate dreams, but because it just seems like a pretty lame way to essentially tell the reader the inner workings of the character. Kind of like beginning the story with a bullet point list of what the character is all about.

There are three rules (for this reader):

1. Don't.

2. Do not.

3. Please do not.

caw

BethS said:

Consider establishing the story first and then introducing the dream. Otherwise you're running a risk that the reader will never get far enough to discover its significance.

Or--if you start with the dream, make sure the reader knows it's a dream from the first line. I can't remember--is this a recurring dream? You could mention that she's experiencing it again, which will clue the reader in that it's important.

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This was going to be my suggestion. Start the main story, then have the dream come a bit later. Or if you have to start with the dream, make it very clear that the protag is dreaming.

The problem with fooling the reader into thinking it's "real," as in "in the story's here and now" is that you haven't earned their trust or commitment yet, so there's a much greater chance of the book being put down and not recommended to friends and family if they feel like you tried to hook them in with something emotionally intense that wasn't real. Especially since it's been done badly often enough that readers are wary.

There's a series I like where the latest four or five books have all started with dreams. It works because it's obvious that this scene is not actually happening -- plus, the character having the dream has a really likable, interesting voice.

But then the first four or five books didn't start with dreams as far as I can remember, so the readers probably know what they're getting by now. So... this post probably isn't helpful at all. Sorry about that.