 Horror/Scary: June 21, 2023 Issue [#12025] |
This week: I had the strangest dream Edited by: Arakun the twisted raccoon  
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Quote for the week:
"Sleep with one eye open
Gripping your pillow tight
Exit light
Enter night
Take my hand
We're off to never-never land"
~From "Enter Sandman" by Metallica |
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Have you ever had a dream that was so vivid that even after you woke up, you still weren't sure it didn't happen? Or a nightmare that made you fear going to sleep for weeks?
A nightmare is an unpleasant dream that evokes a strong emotional response, often fear or sadness. The word comes from mare, an old German or Slavic demon that rides on people's chests when they sleep, causing bad dreams. The word doesn't have any connection to the modern word for a female horse, although a demon horse would be a great subject for nightmares!
Well known movies where dreams figure prominently include the "Nightmare on Elm Street" series and "Inception."
Dreams can be a great part of horror stories, even if they aren't all that scary. If the characters are going through something horrific in real life, a dream where everything is suddenly normal might be a great contrast.
Here are some suggestions for incorporating dreams in to horror stories:
~A bad dream comes true. Or a good one comes true, but with a bad outcome.
~A person gets a warning or threat in a dream.
~A dream tells a character how to get out of a bad situation.
~A character dreams of their own death.
~A character cannot distinguish real life from dreams.
You can probably think of many more!
If you are stuck for story ideas, maybe consider your own dreams. Some of my best stories are based on dreams I had.
If you include dreams in your stories, try to include subtle clues that it is a dream. It doesn't have to be obvious. Just one thing out of place might be a signal that the character is dreaming.
Definitely avoid the common trope where the whole story is a dream, which has become a cliche. Maybe you could turn it upside down, and what was thought to be a dream is actually real.
Something to try: Write a horror story that involves dreams.
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