Writing Dreams

[Dreamfire]

Hi writers ;D, readers of fanfic.

I am planning on writing a dream scene for BJ and havebeen finding it reallyhard. Any tips, ideas? Thoughts on what you have done as a writer or what you have enjoyed or not enjoyed as a reader?

Love Natascha

Hmm, let me think about that for you Natascha


Not sure, I'll fall asleep and you can look inside my head ok?

[maggiethecat]

Interesting question, Natascha!

I would say that my answer would depend on what you want to accomplish with the dream sequence, or where it fits into the story. So I can't be terribly specific except in terms of my own few efforts at fic.

I wrote two dream sequences -- since I think they're great fun and it's always interesting to be in the character's subconscious -- but each had a purpose when it came to advancing the plot. In "Out of the Past," I riffed off the movie Jim had watched (The Godfather) as a springboard to his old bank nightmare; the purpose was to show that once Terry reappeared the nightmare reoccurred, and it was also a trick to get him back to Galloway's office. (Heh.) In "The One-eyed Man" Jim's dream was used as a way to express his fears about being perceived as a member of a minority. So, when you get right down to it, both were specific to the story itself . . . which means, I suppose, that the only advice I can offer is that a dream sequence can very useful as a plot device!

Other than that? Just relax and have fun with it.