How do you write a dream sequence?
Dream sequences allow writers to tap into the mysterious and sometimes bizarre world of dreams, exploring the subconscious and integrating symbolism and metaphor into their storytelling. Dreams can reveal a character's deepest fears, desires, and motivations in ways that may not be immediately obvious in the waking world.
Writing a dream sequence can be challenging, but it's also an opportunity to let your imagination run wild, bringing your characters and stories to life in powerful and unforgettable ways.
What makes a good dream sequence?
Dream sequences should mimic actual dreams: chaotic, disorienting, yet meaningful. Readers should experience the same confusion and vividness they would in their own dreams.
A good dream sequence should give insight into a character's inner world while also advancing the story. To achieve this, it's important to strike a balance between the logical structure of the narrative and the illogical nature of dreams.
Vivid imagery: Dreams are often hyper-real, so the more vivid your descriptions, the more captivating and immersive the dream becomes.
Sensory details: In dreams, senses are often heightened, and evoking the senses can both enhance and subvert expectations
Symbolism: Everything has meaning in dreams. Dream sequences use symbols to foreshadow, hint, and reinforce.
Emotion: Using emotion in dream sequences allows characters to explore their heightened state, and expose their feelings on events.
Confusion: Dreams can be illogical and disjointed. By disorienting both your characters and readers, you can explore new narrative avenues.
Representation of desires or fears: Dreams often reflect our subconscious thoughts and emotions, and the images and events in the dream can reveal important information about the character's inner world.
There are several different types of dream sequences that you can use in your writing. Each type serves a different purpose and can be used to convey different information about your characters and their inner worlds.
Foreshadowing: Dreams that set up or hint at future events in the narrative.
Nightmares: Dreams that evoke fear or anxiety in the dreamer and can reveal their deepest fears.
Lucid dreams: Dreams where the dreamer is aware that they are dreaming and can control what happens.
Fantasy dreams: Dreams that involve fantastical elements, such as talking animals or magical powers.
Recurring dreams: Dreams that happen over and over again and may represent unresolved issues in the dreamer's life.
Realisation dreams: Where something “clicks” for a character that they couldn’t figure out while awake.
Internal conflict: Dreams that give a colourful illustration of a character’s inner turmoil, letting the writer show, not tell.
Linked dreams: Dreams that allow two characters to communicate while asleep through a shared connection.
Quick tips for writing dream sequences
Dream sequences can add a unique and captivating element to any story, but they can be difficult to write. To ensure that your dream sequences are engaging, there are three things to keep in mind.
Firstly, apply logic, but remember that the dream needs to function as a scene and needs some sort of narrative.
Secondly, use narrative distance to create a floaty, dreamlike feel that makes your readers feel they're dreaming too.
Finally, use detail to create a certain atmosphere, either vague and eerie or overcrowded and stressful. Take care not to overdo it and make your readers uneasy to the point of wanting to walk away.
