Writing About: A Character's Dream

I once blogged about a "rule" that said to never write about a character's dream. Well, I have included my characters’ dreams in my stories. In 30 Seconds, I actually wrote in two short dream sequences. The first dream is a replay of something that happens in the story and my heroine, Dani Hart, has a nightmare about what could’ve happened instead. The second dream is a flashback on a pivotal moment from her past that comes into play in the story. I don’t regret adding them.

Image by Chrys Fey.

If you’re considering adding a character’s dream to your story:

1.    Make sure there is a purpose for it. You can’t just add a nightmare to spice things up. And although we make our stories as real as possible, random dreams, like the ones we can have at night, have no place in our stories.

2.    Write the dream as you would write any other scene. You may not be able to use all the senses, but you can still make it descriptive and exciting.

3.    If the dream is a nightmare, utilize horror and suspense. And tie it into the plot. For example: if your character is being stalked by someone, he/she can have a frightening dream about that person.

How to Create Horror

How to Build Suspense

4.    If the dream is a sex dream, make it as steamy as a real sex scene. This could be something fun to add to a romance or erotica book before your characters do the deed.

Writing About: Intimacy

5.    Clearly state that the dream is a dream. You don’t want to confuse your readers, so just before you begin the dream scene, you can make it obvious by showing your character in bed, tossing and turning. It’s also best to italicize the whole dream sequence to make it stand out.

TIP: The only thing I would advise against is making the whole story a dream. That is usually frowned upon.

QUESTIONS: 

Readers: Do you like books that include characters’ dreams?

Writers: Have you written a dream into one of your stories? 

Rules For Writing: No Dreams

Some writing rules I find should be taken with a grain of salt, and some I find to be gems. Writing rules that say you should not write this or that are not law. However, grammar rules are law. And any rule that will fix your writing should be followed! 

I once heard that a writer should never write a dream.

I am not talking about a dream that inspired a story. Whatever way that you can get an idea for a story is golden. If you had a dream one night and woke up saying, “That would make a great story!” then write it! The best ideas for stories come from dreams.

The writing rule regarding dreams is that you cannot write about a dream that your character is having. Doing this will lower the value of your writing, annoy the reader, confuse the plot, and add nothing to the story but nonsense. I agree only if you are writing about a dream that is like the many weird dreams we have at night. For instance, dreams about clowns, killer bunnies, flying, or jumping out of a tall tree do not need a place in your book. If it doesn’t make sense to the story line leave it out!

However, I don’t totally agree with this writing rule. I have written about my character's dreams because they related to the story I was telling. The main character in my (unpublished) series has had a couple of dreams that I wrote about because they added to the story and actually came into play later. In one of my short stories, the main character is psychic and the dreams she has at night actually happen.

So if a dream adds to your story and influences the plot then I don’t see any harm in writing it. But make sure that it makes sense! You want your reader to understand exactly why you included the character's dream, not to scratch their head.

QUESTIONS: Do you believe this writing rule is ridiculous or a gem?

Have you written about a characters dream in one of your stories?