Writing Dreams - Writers Forum

Schumi · 12-01-2005, 08:42 AM

Hi everyone,

I have a character in my novel that goes through a traumatic experience. At points throughout the novel, I want her to have visions of the experience whilst she is asleep i.e. nightmares. The only thing is, I'm not sure how to write them. Do I write it in a way that suggests to the reader that it is actually happening now, and then the character wakes up, and the reader realises it was a bad dream she had? Are dreams written differently on the page i.e. text in the middle, and maybe in italics?

Any help would be great. Thanks.

midlandsmuse · 12-01-2005, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schumi

Hi everyone,

I have a character in my novel that goes through a traumatic experience. At points throughout the novel, I want her to have visions of the experience whilst she is asleep i.e. nightmares. The only thing is, I'm not sure how to write them. Do I write it in a way that suggests to the reader that it is actually happening now, and then the character wakes up, and the reader realises it was a bad dream she had? Are dreams written differently on the page i.e. text in the middle, and maybe in italics?

Any help would be great. Thanks.

Really it's up to you. I've seen dreams done in italics but I really do like your idea of changing the tense to present. I think that will work well.

Kyle Bagley · 12-01-2005, 09:11 AM

Each dream could be a seperate short chapter from the rest of the story.

Schumi · 12-01-2005, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kyle Bagley

Each dream could be a seperate short chapter from the rest of the story.

I like that idea. I'm not sure whether I should say from the start that the character is dreaming, or if I should write it as if it is happening at that moment? I should add that information given in the dreams will be new to the reader.

ravravrav · 12-01-2005, 06:20 PM

You could include a few subtle phrases or descriptions which suggest somethings a little out of the ordinary...

Lord Raiden · 12-01-2005, 06:44 PM

lol. Writing about dreams is exactly what my Dreamland Articles series of short stories is.

You're welcome to use those as an example if you'd like. What I've found to do with dreams is to wait for a dream that sticks in your mind. Usually one that stays with you long after you wake up. I figure that if I'm still thinking about it a day or two later, it's going to have enough content to make a good short story.

Then you simply write down your dream in a simple, rough outline or draft, then throw the idea around in your head a bit, embellish it a bit, expound on some things, enrich other points, then write it.

So far I've ended up with 2 books on the back burner (aka still gotta write these), four short stories, and a full novel based entirely on dreams or the ideas brought forth by them.

Dreams can be fun to write about, but never write them verbatim. I say that because what you find interesting in a dream a lot of times won't make sence to the reader. That is if you write it exactly like you saw it. Use the dream as the base idea for the story and build up from there.

TimK · 12-01-2005, 08:39 PM

Hi, Schumi.

You could set off the dream sequences as separate sections, perhaps even in emphasized (italic) type, or as separate chapters. But you'll still want to let the reader know that they are witnessing a dream sequence, or at least that they may be witnessing a dream sequence. (It depends on your story and what purpose the dream sequence has in the story.)

You could have strange things happen, for example, that couldn't happen in real life. And you could have thoughts flit wildly from place to place or subject to subject, as often happens in dreams. You could also have the character wake up sweaty and uptight after the nightmare. Any of these would clue the reader in to the fact that it's a dream. You could also experiment with a different tense (e.g., present tense instead of past) or person (e.g., second person instead of third) during the dream sequences, which might achieve a nice literary effect as well. You want to experiment to see what works best in your particular story.

Hope this helps,
-TimK

Schumi · 12-02-2005, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TimK

Hi, Schumi.

You could set off the dream sequences as separate sections, perhaps even in emphasized (italic) type, or as separate chapters. But you'll still want to let the reader know that they are witnessing a dream sequence, or at least that they may be witnessing a dream sequence. (It depends on your story and what purpose the dream sequence has in the story.)

You could have strange things happen, for example, that couldn't happen in real life. And you could have thoughts flit wildly from place to place or subject to subject, as often happens in dreams. You could also have the character wake up sweaty and uptight after the nightmare. Any of these would clue the reader in to the fact that it's a dream. You could also experiment with a different tense (e.g., present tense instead of past) or person (e.g., second person instead of third) during the dream sequences, which might achieve a nice literary effect as well. You want to experiment to see what works best in your particular story.

Hope this helps,
-TimK

Thanks for your advice. The character that will have the dreams is called Samantha, and at the beginning of the novel, she is subjected to a sexual assault. I have not outlined what exactly happened during the assault, and I picked it up at the point where her attacker leaves the scene of the crime. So at this point, a lot is left up in the open. That's where the dreams come in. She will start to have nightmares in her sleep, of what happened during the attack etc.

I'm confident I can write the dreams, but it's how to display them on the page that I'm unsure of. I'll experiment with a few different ways to see if they work or not. I suppose I could start the dreams with a sentence to say that Samantha drifted off to sleep, and then the dream chapter comes in. People reading the book will know what's happening, and it would avoid confusion.

evadri · 12-02-2005, 08:36 PM

You could say so the first time, then go to the first dream chapter. After that, if the writing style of the dreams is consistent, then the reader will realise which chapters are dreams.
I really like the idea of separate chapters for the dreams.
If it is a more realist story, if that's your aim, best to let the reader know what is dreaming. If you want to go for more fantastical stuff, you could leave it up to the reader to decide. Just keep your aims in mind.