I know this is probably a common topic. For me, I’m not sure if it’s a “trope” or just totally misinformed writing, but it’s how many authors approach alcoholism. Some examples are Girl on the Train and The House Across the Lake, among HUNDREDS. If anyone else here has struggled with alcoholism, you know it’s not just "i woke up after downing an entire bottle of whiskey but was able to shower, down a cup of coffee, and solve a murder. "

  • custardgun@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    I guess it’s not really a trope, but dreams really burn my shit. They’re almost always a lazy excuse to convey something about a character that the author should have been able to do without resorting to cheap symbolism.

    • Fabulous_Kimmie@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      I don’t know anyone who dreams as literally as characters in books do.

      “That night, after my mother’s funeral, I dreamed I was standing alone on a dock at the lake. My mother was floating away in the cold, dark water. No matter how I begged, she wouldn’t swim back to the shore.”

      You know what a real dream is?

      “Last night, I dreamed that my 3rd grade piano teacher tried to get me to invest in his business selling custom birdcages. I ended up feeding a library book to his brother, who was actually R2-D2 in drag.”

      Dreams are fuckin’ weird, not plot contrivances.

      • BlackDeath3@alien.topBEnglish
        1·
        10 months ago

        Sometimes I feel like I have the coolest ideas in dreams (though sometimes they only seem cool until I’m awake). Wish I could harness that brainpower without being asleep.

        • Walrus_BBQ@alien.topBEnglish
          1·
          10 months ago

          There’s a something called hypnagogia that is close to what you are describing.

          The trick is keeping yourself from falling asleep after it happens. Salvador Dalí apparently did this.

      • MzOpinion8d@alien.topBEnglish
        1·
        10 months ago

        This is a real dream I had - I wrote it down I I could text it to my sister and my cousin right after I woke up. This was within a few months after my mom died.

        I just woke up from a dream. Mom and I were going to a clothing store but she parked by a taco place. There was a person in a mascot suit carrying a live deer roller skating or skateboarding across the parking lot doing somersaults/flips.

        Yep. That’s my dreams. Lol.

      • saturninesweet@alien.topBEnglish
        1·
        10 months ago

        I think this may be related to writing stories. I dream in complex narratives that are generally very coherent and linear. Often with extravagant back stories/memories that give meaning to dream events. It is part of why I write. I suspect many other authors have a similar experience and assume it is relatable to all.