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How to Format Dream Sequences in Books

Writing a dream sequence in a novel is a tricky proposition at best, but with the right framing and formatting you can help the reader understand that what he is reading is a dream. Try to keep dream sequences short and important, as it is very easy for a dream sequence to break the flow of a story and do more harm than good. If you have an editor or agent for your manuscript, consult her for publisher-specific formatting guidelines for dream sequences.

Instructions

    • 1

      Flag the dream sequence in the surrounding story by showing the character falling asleep beforehand or waking up and realizing the scene was a dream afterward.

    • 2

      Place whitespace or a section divider before and after the dream sequence to set it off and signal clear boundaries where it starts and finishes.

    • 3

      Italicize the dream sequence, unless the reader is not meant to discover that it is a dream until later. Depending on the formatting style of your book, you may want to increase the margins and consider using full justification for the duration of the dream sequence, like the formatting for a block quote.

    • 4

      Write dream sequences in the present tense. This convention conveys the immediacy of a dream, while also providing a distinctive tonal boundary between the dream sequence and the rest of the story.

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