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The trope you're referring to is called All Just a Dream (tv tropes warning). While some authors can pull it off, it is usually considered a bad trope to use. The reason for this is that the "it's ...
Answer
#4: Attribution notice removed
by
System
·
2019-12-12T21:57:26Z (about 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/38649 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added
by
System
·
2019-12-08T09:44:12Z (about 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/38649 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision
The trope you're referring to is called [All Just a Dream](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AllJustADream) (tv tropes warning). While some authors can pull it off, it is usually considered a bad trope to use. The reason for this is that **the "it's all just a dream" reveal is anticlimactic** : there's something very dramatic happening, but then it has no consequences; the character instead gets a reset button to prevent the dramatic thing from happening in the first place. If you introduce a plot element, as a reader I would like to see that element followed through to the end, with its consequences and implications, not reset and prevented. Another problem with this trope is that **it strains the reader's willing suspension of disbelief.** Real dreams are weird: things happen in random order, reality shifts, and to add to the confusion - your brain flushes most of it upon awakening, so you only remember bits and pieces. Think of your own dreams: how often do they make much sense?
#1: Imported from external source
by
System
·
2018-09-03T12:29:39Z (over 6 years ago)
Original score: 3