When integrated properly, dream sequences can be a powerful tool in your writing arsenal! But when written poorly, they can leave readers running for the hills.
My latest video explores how you can seamlessly weave dream sequences into your narrative and the considerations you should make when doing so to ensure they feel organic and impactful.
Hello, Jane Cleland here.
“How do I integrate a dream sequence so it doesn’t feel just plugged in, coincidental, or contrived?”
It’s a great question and an important observation. It can feel contrived or coincidental, like you just want information to get out there but there’s no organic way to do it. So, ah, let’s have them have a dream! Yeah, no.
I have two suggestions for you—one about format and one about writing.
Format:
Integrate white space above and below the dream sequence. You indicate that by putting three asterisks in the center of the line. That signals that whatever follows should have white space above it. At the end of the dream sequence, you would do the same thing—white space below it. You might even put the dream in italics to indicate that it’s different.
Writing:
From a writing point of view, you need to think about why you’re using a dream sequence. There are good reasons to do it. For example, maybe a woman has a nightmare after certain stressful events. Maybe she’s dreadfully afraid of thunderstorms or violent weather. Well, that would be a good reason for her to have a nightmare that night.
So, you have the storm. You have her say, “Oh, please don’t let me have that nightmare.” White space—then here’s the nightmare. Now it feels more organic and connected.
At the end of the dream sequence, don’t forget to tell us how she’s reacting to it. Is she thrashing around in bed, jelly-rolling herself in the blankets? Does she wake up with a start? Or does she ease into a solid, dreamless sleep after the nightmare? These are different reactions.
You need to get her into the nightmare and then out of it. Does she awaken the next morning refreshed? Or is she all tangled in her mind and unsure of what to do? How are you going to handle that?
The same applies to pleasant dreams. Maybe someone looks forward to a certain dream, but it’s unpredictable. When she has it, she wakes up so refreshed. Why? What spurs it? What is the result of it?
You need to provide context and sensory interactions with the dream. Then you need to get her into it properly—organically—and out of it seamlessly.
I know you can do it! How about you? Are there any books you’ve read that have dream sequences that worked really well? Or have you written one yourself and thought it was especially effective? Put them in the comments section—I’d love to hear about it!
And if this tip had value for you: Would you like it? Would you share it? Would you subscribe to the channel? That opens up features that let us make these videos even more valuable for you.
Thank you!
*Transcripts are software-generated. To report any transcription errors, please use my contact form!
