Dream sequences, how acceptable they are?

Some people finds it upsetting, what do you think?

Depends on how they're used, and their relevance to the plot.

That's a bit like asking what people think of fight scenes- um... who, where, when, why, what, how? It's all about context.

edited 9th Jun '14 9:51:47 AM by CrystalGlacia

... They do? Are you sure that you don't mean All Just a Dream, which is a story twist (and which can be annoying), rather that Dream Sequence, which simply refers to a section of the story that happens to be in a dream (and which may make it quite apparent that it's a dream well before the end of the sequence).

edited 9th Jun '14 9:56:53 AM by ArsThaumaturgis

To reiterate what Ars said, I do not think people have an issue with Dream sequences. Specially because most of them do frame them to be obvious dreams. Starts with character going to bed. Shutting eyes off. Zany things happen. And then they wake up.

Dreams help see a character's thoughts, in some sort of Journey to the Center of the Mind thing

edited 9th Jun '14 10:06:37 AM by Aszur

Well, people might take Dreaming of Times Gone By as lazy storytelling, Dreaming of Things to Come as maybe too convenient and just straight up pointless dreams as filler...but they'd have to be done badly for most people to take offense.

edited 9th Jun '14 10:19:48 AM by Elfhunter

Dream Sequences were heavily discouraged in How not to write a novel, but I intended it as a means for Foreshadowing

In those, I think what I personally would take care of, would be to present them in light of the context: if they are dreams, they should be dreams from the character and his/her perspective.

While some might remember a day of fire and blood, other characters might just remember it as the day their toast was slightly burnt. It can be an interesting tool to play on Character Development, but if it is made too obvious, then it loses all its potential foreshadowing, or becomes plain old silly.

Mostly I have seen it used as part of a "partial prophecy" thing, so it is foreshadowing-ish, just trying to pique people with what it might mean when the meaning was not divulged fully to begin with...I would personally try to avoid that. It is a bit cheap.

That. I'd say that if you have to put it in then keep it loose and symbolic. And generally stay as far away as you can from surreal non-sense as possible.

edited 9th Jun '14 10:28:02 AM by Elfhunter

I'd prefer if dream sequences were generally (if not strictly) avoided. One of my complaints about Wheel of Time (as far as I've read it) is the overuse of dreams, it seems like just about every second chapter is a dream. Part of the point of fiction is escapism, the ability to present things that are impossible or improbable in the real world; you shouldn't need dreams to make it interesting.

I am not familiar at all with Wheel of Time. But here is a question.

Are characters not allowed escapism either? It is potentially great character development, and a very human form of escapism, to be lost in dreams.

I think as long as they're not used as an outright cop-out for things, they ought to be fine. I'd discourage using them as a one-off thing. Even better if they're relevant and tied into the character or narrative - like if it has to do with prophecies, or if the character sleeps a lot or is some kind of prophet.

I don't particularly see the problem with them. They serve as a good way to deliver exposition without seeming too "forced", if that makes sense.

Dreams can be used effectively, but I feel like they should have the quality of real dreams in order to be successful. Dream logic is not very linear and tends to take weird turns or hinge on assumptions that would not be made in the real world.

Dream sequences, eh?

The very realistic dream sequences can be rather cliche, but entertaining... I used a homoerotic dream to mess with my characters - the readers were amused by how OOC the men were in it and then found out it was a dream.

The obvious dreams are good for revelations.

Personally I use dream sequences to get more sex into my stories. That, of course, is just me.

I don't think I've ever read a story with a good dream sequence in it, primarily because I don't read many stories that use them at all.

The fact most mainstream storytelling avoids them probably means something; if nothing else, perhaps they're difficult to manage.

It's hard to make someone feel like they are in a dream on their own, let alone watching someone else's dream. More often than not it is the refuge of those who wish to blatantly exposit or make a point without having to justify themselves, or those who are trying to be symbolic and look deep without restricting themselves to the logic of the main story-world.

I think that using dreams/memories as exposition or dreams/hallucinations as symbolic interludes can be done well, but again, it requires a very good understanding of what makes a dream a dream and how to weave the desired narrative ends into that framework believably and effectively. This is not half as easy as people seem to think it is.

The problem with dream sequences occurs when they are used to cover up some plot hole that the author can't otherwise overcome. There is nothing wrong with dream sequences if they fit into the context of the story and make sense, just don't use them as a convenient fix all.