Writing.Com General Discussion

Hmmm... That can be difficult. I definitely don't recommend having the whole story end up just as a dream. It can be a questionable start for some readers but we also can't please everyone.

I would say, as long as you have some way to distinguish when you do make the change from dream to the rest of the story, it will be okay. Italics can help because they indicate something different is happening but there are other ways to do that. We just need to have a way besides at random, the next paragraph being like: "Then she woke up and fell off the bed. It was only a dream." It would work in a way but you want to surprise a little but not jar the reader to the point they end up put off by the shift.

I understand your struggles, too. Have a YA book that starts with a scene from a novel because the main character is reading a romance book, which is a big part of the story since it's called "boys don't read romance" but have to make sure the transition and existence makes sense.