Although there are certainly exceptions to this rule, your wisest move is generally to cut the dream and find a stronger opening.
But what about including dreams later on in the story? Does the same aversion apply there as well? In a word—or two—that depends.
Occasionally, dreams can be used to set the tone, introduce symbolism, or offer a laugh. But successful dreams are rarely longer than a paragraph. In fact, a short sentence(e.g., “Andre woke from another dream of bats and rainbows”) is probably your safest bet. Otherwise, you risk confusing, boring, and distancing readers.
I recently read a literary novel that included a dream sequence that spanned thirty pages. The author did a good job crafting the dream to feel like a dream, but the downside was that real dreams are often rambling, incoherent, and aimless—a combination few readers appreciate.
Every now and then, my favorite television shows will include dream-sequence episodes. These episodes are invariably some of my least favorites, not only because the bizarre tone doesn’t fit the rest of the show, but because their storylines add nothing that builds upon either the show’s general plot or the characters’ growth.
If you feel you need to include a dream sequences in your story, stop and ask yourself the following:
- Is this scene is absolutely necessary to the story?
- Is it clear?
- Does it contain conflict or tension?
- Does it advances character growth?
If the answer to any of these is “no,” you’d probably be wise to trim the dream to a sentence or two—or delete it entirely.
