How to write realistic dream sequences:
I’ve noticed that in a lot of fiction, dream sequences are usually just used as plot devices, and rarely feel like the real thing. On the other hand, I’ve also noticed that people often have a hard time describing their dreams, sometimes leaving out entire details just because they don’t know how to word them. Therefore, here are some things that happen in dreams to make your sequence more realistic, with terms for them that I’ve coined for those who just wanna explain their dreams easier:
A ‘Psuedo-Cloak’, or recognizing one thing to be another (e.g. you see a toilet, but recognize it to be a door and walk over to open it)
A ‘Skiing-Bobby’, or having an additional (nonexistent) member to your family/friend group (e.g. there’s some guy named Geoffrey that you’ve never known IRL, but in the dream, they are a welcomed member of the family)
A ‘Dream-Cameo’ or having someone you’re familiar with (like a celeb or character from a movie/tv show) appear in the dream, sometimes playing a part in it (e.g. Fonzie from happy days breaks into your house and throws your little brother out the window)
‘Intuitive-Memory’, or simply accepting something unusual to be a normal part of your life, and treating it as such (e.g. your dream-father grows mushrooms on top of your neighbour’s roofs, and you can remember him doing this since dream-childhood)
A ‘Dreamtour’ or getting (usually unwillingly) sidetracked from your dream’s main mission, and spending the remainder of the dream just trying to get back on course (e.g. the man with the moose’s head wants you to get a VCR for your grandmother, but you’ve accidentally fallen down a manhole and are now in Australia, trying to explain to the nearest police officer that you don’t live here and need the fastest plane back to Cleveland)
‘Dreamotions’ or having weird emotions about things that don’t make sense (e.g. that pigeon in the street makes you want to cry until you drown, but the slice of toast you have in your hands makes you happy enough to want to throw your life savings off a balcony like Henry Sugar)
‘Moon-falling’, or falling in slow motion as if gravity has suddenly become way weaker, kinda like on the moon (e.g. that one kinda explains itself.)
