Against the rules- The Rick Riordan edition

Y'all know about me and 'rules'. If you don't know feel free to check out the Terry Pratchett edition here.

I think we all agreed back then that the rules exist for a reason.

BUT

If you're good and you have good reasons, those rules can be broken.

Since I like breaking rules so much, I've made it a mission of mine to bring you examples of rules well-broken every time I see them.

Today we'll be using THE SEA OF MONSTERS, book 2 of the Percy Jackson series as our example. We've already examined today's rule in the Terry Pratchett edition, but it can't hurt to see another example.
Especially since there's a million places telling you how to follow the rules and only a handful telling you how to break them.

RULE: Don't start a book with a dream.

REASON: Readers feel betrayed. They're just starting to know a character and his situation.

Riordan:

My nightmare started like this.

WHY IT WORKS:

That is actually the first line of the book. There are several reasons why it works for Riordan.

Firstly, this is part two of a series. Dreams have already been shown to be visions of what is happening somewhere else at the same time or visions of things to come.

Secondly, the major issue with dreams, is that the audience thinks they're real, and feels betrayed when they aren't. Riordan states it up front. This is a dream.

Thirdly, dreams are a major part of this novel. Percy keeps getting glimpses of things which he can't hope to understand until he finds himself closer to - or even in- the exact situation the dream describes. Trying to fit the pieces together gives the story an extra element of suspense as well. Starting out with a dream actually helps set the tone for the rest of the novel.

Considering both this and Pratchett, I'd say dreams as visions, can work well.

PS- Remember how I'm supposed to be going to a conference in August? (I say "supposed to" because it seems I've eaten my passport!) Well you can too! Check out the free online Write On Con.