: Re: Is it okay to use "It was all just a virtual world / dream" for a plot twist? I am currently writing a novel where I use "It was all just a dream" (IWAJAD) plot twist, just because

@Kevin153

A successful dream segment in a story, unless it's very brief, and presented explicitly as a dream, needs to:
a) Tell a complete, self-contained story.
b) Come to an emotionally satisfying conclusion
c) Have a real impact on the world outside the dream
A good example is the film version of the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy completes her quest in the dream, her victory is earned, and she takes the lessons she gained from it back to her real world existence. Miss out on any of these ingredients, and you'll leave people dissatisfied with the dream.
One additional caveat: If you are gaining benefits from letting the reader think this is reality, it will feel like a cheat. A brief nightmare that feels real is acceptable --that's a true-to-life experience. But getting extended play out of a deceptive reality --unless the deception is key to the story itself! --is going to backfire. For that reason a dream should not be used as a plot twist. When it is forced into that role in the story, it will almost inevitably be experienced as illegitimate.

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