I cannot recall using a dream sequence to start a story. I wrote a science fiction/cyberpunk story where character dreams are incorporated. This has reminded me to go back to that final draft and see if I had too many dream sequences!
I've also used dreams in a story. My most recent novel has quite a few -- it's a major part of the plot. But they are clearly dreams, and I didn't start the novel with a dream scene (I thought about it for a moment though). So no deceiving readers into thinking this dead girl floating in the air with snakes wrapped around her waist and neck was a real scene. And the characters and plot have already been established before the first dream appears.
I see a variation of this in mysteries far too often. The first chapter opens with a nightmare, the protagonist wakes up and we learn the dream is something that happened in their pas that caused them to run away / leave their job / be fired / etc. Very annoying.
I have written at least one short story that starts with a dream sequence. But it is clear from the outset that it is a dream, and its relevance to the story is, I think, clear from the start, so I think I'm reasonably okay on this one! :)
I cannot recall using a dream sequence to start a story. I wrote a science fiction/cyberpunk story where character dreams are incorporated. This has reminded me to go back to that final draft and see if I had too many dream sequences!
I've also used dreams in a story. My most recent novel has quite a few -- it's a major part of the plot. But they are clearly dreams, and I didn't start the novel with a dream scene (I thought about it for a moment though). So no deceiving readers into thinking this dead girl floating in the air with snakes wrapped around her waist and neck was a real scene. And the characters and plot have already been established before the first dream appears.
I see a variation of this in mysteries far too often. The first chapter opens with a nightmare, the protagonist wakes up and we learn the dream is something that happened in their pas that caused them to run away / leave their job / be fired / etc. Very annoying.
Agree, it's annoying.
I have written at least one short story that starts with a dream sequence. But it is clear from the outset that it is a dream, and its relevance to the story is, I think, clear from the start, so I think I'm reasonably okay on this one! :)
I think you hit the two key factors.