AboutSusan Rand Expertise I'm primarily interested in people who want to write fantasy and can answer questions about what makes a fantasy, how well the writing works, techniques, characters, setting, etc. Check my stats before deciding!
Experience I am in the process of writing a fantasy in the Harry Potter genre, but different from those works in many aspects (first, unsold LOL!) I've had one book published and several more in the works. I have been writing, editing, proofing, teaching, and mentoring emerging writers for 40 years.
Expert: Susan Rand Date: 6/23/2007 Subject: opening a novel with dream sequence
Question QUESTION: I have just finished a 900 page novel, the first book in a fantasy/sword and sorcery series. I am preparing to send it out to agents and publishers, but have come upon a piece of advice that causes me great concern. Therefore, before sending out queries, I felt it was important to make certain I am not creating a no-win situation for myself.
I am reading Les Edgerton's new book, "HOOKED-write fiction that grabs readers at page one and never lets them go", from Writer's Digest Books, (2007).
In it, (on page 188) he says, "Never, ever, ever, begin a narrative with action and then reveal the character's merely dreaming it all". Although this statement leaves no room for variaton, I hope it applies only to particular situations and does not account for every possibility.
My need for clarification arises from the fact that I have done exactly what he advises against.
I have opened my story with a recurring dream in which an evil sorcerer has magically intruded on the hero's dream world. The sorcerer's unwelcome presence is a warning of what is to come - a harbinger of vast devastation and death. The nightmare repeats later in the story, and much of the novel is based on whether or not the contents of the dream are a true account of the future and, if so, what the protagonist and his friends can do to prevent the tragedy.
If it would help to send you the first chapter, I will be happy to do so. I would greatly appreciate your input. I have worked diligently to educate myself and I do not want to damage my chances of representation because of a foolish error.
Thank you so much for your time and consideration.
ANSWER: Hello Ron:
Congratulations on finishing your book. I envy you! And you have a great attitude toward your work, also - bodes well for your book's success.
I agree with Edgerton. A dream sequence is probably the worst way to start a book with , because it's a big letdown, and why would anyone want to start a book with an immediate letdown for the reader?
There are several ways you might get around this:
1. Don't call it a dream. Call it a "visitation" or something similar. I'm sure you have heard of people who claimed to have been "visited" at night by aliens, dead relatives, etc. who suddenly appeared at the foot of their bed.
2. Think of some other way the sorcerer could make his presence known - some novel way, that hasn't been used before. I recall in one of Stephen King's books, someone (or something, perhaps a demon) left the protagonist messages using the alphabet magnets on his refrigerator. That raised the hair on the back of my neck, something that almost never happens to me. It was the sheer mundanity of the process that was frightening.
3. Take out the dream altogether. I'm thinking of something like the "alien abduction" accounts, where aliens pull people from their beds at night and take them somewhere else. Instead of the sorcerer intruding on the hero's dream world, how about the sorcerer snatching him from his bed and drawing him into the sorcerer's world?
4. Start with an action scene where something interesting and emotion-charged happens, and bring in the dream later. Don't say how the hero felt about this; show the reader the effect the dream is having on his life.
5. In an effort to read the future, the hero might attempt to summon the sorcerer, or some other entity and get the sorcerer instead.
These are just some suggestions to help you in your thinking. My concern is that if you have written 900 pages without ever learning the dangers of a dream-sequence opening, what else might you have done that might cause the reader to cast your book aside in disgust?
I hope this helps. If it does, a nice rating would be greatly appreciated. I am proud of my high score over 1,000 questions.
And good luck with your writing!
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---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Susan - Thank you so much for such a prompt reply.
To clarify one point - I was aware a dream sequence could be an inadvisable opening even before reading Edgerton's book, however, I had never before seen this admonition stated so strongly. After over 15 years of studying Writer's Digest and The Writer, as well as dozens of "How To" books on writing, I have repeatedly seen the advice that "rules can be broken" as long as it is done effectively and for a good reason.
I would appreciate it if you would elaborate on why the reader would find my opening a "big letdown", since this recurring nightmare is pivotal to both character motivation and plot, rather than an unrelated element calculated to open the book with a false "bang".
Again, if it would be helpful for you to see my first chapter, I will be happy to send it. A quick read through might clarify the content for you - of course, I don't expect you to do a detailed critique.
Also, do you see a problem with leaving the dream sequence in the first chapter, as long as it isn't the opening scene?
Thanks so much for your help.
Answer Hi Ron:
It takes considerable skill to open with an effective dream sequence. Are you sure you have that skill? It's always a letdown if you read something you think is interesting and exciting only to find it's all smoke and mirrors. Remember THE WIZARD OF OZ? If the Good Witch had told the group that the Wizard knew magic and would employ this magic to give them what they wanted, imagine how disappointed they would be to find he was just an old guy behind a curtain. Imagine that your wife's bizarre behavior led you to believe she was planning a surprise party for your upcoming birthday, and when the day finally came, you walk in and there she is, alone in the house, ironing. The dream sequence may be "pivotal to both character motivation and plot," but a reader who has just picked your book up at Borders and read the first few paragraphs won't know that. There are a lot of other books for readers to choose from, and readers these days have short attention spans.
It seems that you are very attached to this dream opening. That does not bode well for the book. If the agent you sent your MS to wrote back and said, "Lose the dream opening," could you bring yourself to write a better one? Because there is a high chance that your agent will want you to change other things, as well. How will you react to that?
I have advised you to the best of my ability; it is up to you to decide what you want to do. I critique chapters at $2.75 per page.
I hope this helps. If it does, a nice rating would be greatly appreciated. I am proud of my high score over 1,000 questions.
