Writing tips

Nightmare Starters

"Wake up! Wake up! It's just a dream!"

"What were you dreaming about...? You were shouting..."

"I woke up because you were screaming so loudly."

"Shh- No, no, don't panic, love. You're safe now."

"It was so real! I swear! He/she was here!"

"I don't ever want to sleep again. What if-what if I dream about that again?"

"If you tell me, it'll go away. That's what my mun/dad always told me and it's never failed me."

"Do you want to go back to sleep, or shall I make you a cup of tea?"

"I don't want to go back to sleep..."

"I'm so scared ... I can't stop seeing what I just saw. It was so vivid!"

"There's really nobody here, okay? Do you need me to show you around to prove that to you?"

"How do I know I'm not still dreaming? You're acting really strangely."

"Let's get you to the shower, you're covered in sweat."

"There's really nobody else here."

"You've got a really bad fever. That must have caused those weird dreams."

"I don't even know what a peaceful night's sleep is like anymore."

"I can't do this anymore. These nightmares have to stop..."

"Shh, it was just a bad dream. Just a dream, okay? None of it was real."

"I can't go back to sleep after that. I need coffee-no, I need a drink, a stiff one."

"How long have you been having these nightmares?"

"I've had nightmares all my life, but they've been really bad recently."

"You get so worked up before you go to sleep, maybe you should try to relax a bit more. Maybe then you'll get some rest?"

"I'd kill for a peaceful night's sleep."

"A dream catcher? Honestly? I'm not a child."

"Nothing's ever helped this. I just need to learn to live with the fact that sleeping will always be nightmare, literally."

"I'm so tired... but there's no way I'm going back to sleep after that."