Oct 16, 2024 23:00:00

What are the dangers and importance of dreams in fiction?

A '

dream punchline ,' which reveals at the end of a story that 'everything that happened up until that point was actually a dream,' can be a surprising twist or a plot twist, but it can also be considered a 'forbidden move' for a writer, as Osamu Tezuka pointed out , 'an example of a bad four-panel manga.' M.L. Rio, a best-selling author with a Ph.D. in Early Modern English Literature, talks about why using 'dreams' in stories is bad.

ML Rio on the Connection Between Writing and Dreams ‹ Literary Hub
https://lithub.com/ml-rio-on-the-connection-between-writing-and-dreams/

Dreams are one of those things that professors, editors, and veteran writers alike will tell you not to write about. A dream punchline, in which the story, characters, and events that unfolded were all just a dream, can completely upend and ruin the premise. In addition to dream punchlines, there are also other patterns in which dreams are used as introductions, where the reader is faced with a frightening image or danger, but it was just a dream, and the dream or the fear they felt is the driving force behind the start of the story.

Regarding using dreams to introduce a story, Rio said, 'Anyone can easily create a false start, where a character the reader doesn't know is dreaming and wakes up, freaking out over past trauma or future obstacles that appear as the story's main character or antagonist. It's a clumsy introduction, so experienced writers don't like it.' According to Rio, using dreams to introduce a story feels like a 'shortcut for clumsy storytelling.'

Another problem is the ambiguity of dreams in reality, Rio points out. Dreams are difficult to interpret, and even scientists who study dreams don't understand why we dream or what physiological purpose dreaming serves. A 2018 study showed that EEG measurements supported the idea that dreams are related to the brain's processing of recent memories, but it remains unclear what meanings or implications dreaming that are not related to recent events has.

'Why do people dream?' Revealed - GIGAZINE

By Alexander Mills

In literature, anything can be a depiction that 'symbolizes' something else or a future event. We write and read in a way that gives meaning to things that are essentially meaningless, like the color of our curtains or the weather we can see through our windows. In this context, dreams, which are difficult to interpret and do not know what they suggest, are an easy tool for writers trying to give meaning to their works, but a less attractive method, says Rio.

On the other hand, Rio said, 'I realized that the reason dreams are bad plot devices is also what makes them good writing. Dreams can be an unappealing way to write, but understanding them can make a story more appealing.' Rio has a tendency to suffer from insomnia, and the driving force behind his writing has been coming up with ideas for novels while unable to sleep, or remembering the images of dreams he had on the occasional day when he was able to sleep soundly. His first novella, ' Graveyard Shift ,' is a story about a sleepless night, and it prompted him to think more deeply about the role that 'dreams' play in his writing.

Stories are full of descriptions that are meaningless or incomprehensible if taken literally. Such descriptions require interpretation from the reader, and interpretation expands the imaginary canvas. However, expressing them symbolically through dreams gives the impression of clumsy symbolism. On the other hand, Rio believes that the 'dream-like sensation' is very important in writing. Rio says that it is important to 'rely on the dream sensation' in order to grasp the exquisite sensation of conveying nuances in writing without vividly conveying the meaning, so that you do not realize that you are in a dream while you are dreaming.