I’ve just written a short story with an old, dying man which starts with him waking from a powerful dream in which he felt returned to his most powerful younger self then has to come back to terms with his frail reality. I broke the rule, kinda on purpose cos I like being ornery (or I’m stupid?) and testing if I can indeed make it work. I feel happy with it. My (writerly-crew) beta readers didn’t react badly to it… the rule is always ‘break the rule but have a good reason and do it really, really well.’ Not sure I have… but I did it anyway!
That sounds like something that could definitely work - but then what the dream was about is central to what the story's about, isn't it. Besides, there's nothing like trying something you're told not to do, to find out the whys and wherefores of why it gets said, and what its limitations are. Good for you!
I’ve just written a short story with an old, dying man which starts with him waking from a powerful dream in which he felt returned to his most powerful younger self then has to come back to terms with his frail reality. I broke the rule, kinda on purpose cos I like being ornery (or I’m stupid?) and testing if I can indeed make it work. I feel happy with it. My (writerly-crew) beta readers didn’t react badly to it… the rule is always ‘break the rule but have a good reason and do it really, really well.’ Not sure I have… but I did it anyway!
That sounds like something that could definitely work - but then what the dream was about is central to what the story's about, isn't it. Besides, there's nothing like trying something you're told not to do, to find out the whys and wherefores of why it gets said, and what its limitations are. Good for you!