How to Turn a Dream Scene into a Real Story Hook

Today on Fantasy Writing for Barbarians, we’re diving deep into one of the most controversial ways to open your fantasy novel: the dream sequence. A listener asks whether they should open with a dream as a prologue or kick off Chapter 1 with it—and we’re breaking down how both could work but why you may want to reconsider...

We’re also unpacking why readers often hate dream openings and dream sequences in general, when and how they do work, and why the key to using them well isn’t about avoiding clichés. It’s about structure, trust, and payoff. Plus, we go through a full checklist for dream scenes that pull their weight, and some spicy thoughts on the prologue trap new writers fall into.

Email your own advice prompt to [e-mail] or join our Discord and let us know what's on your mind. You can find the discussion prompt we referenced on the show right here.

Fantasy Writing for Barbarians‘ host is Jon Negroni, author of The Pixar Theory, Killerjoy, and more. Our producers are Natalia Emmons and Bridget Serdock. You can find all our episodes and various podcast app options here.

Intro music: "Adventures in Adventureland" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.