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It was that dream again. Maggie thrashed helplessly in her sleep as she watched herself in the dream. Once again, Jeff was about to tell her to turn the key on the old 51 GMC, while he poured gas into the ancient single barrel carburetor.
Wake up, don't turn the key! her dreaming self cried out. “Ok, hit it,” Jeff said. The world exploded in flames, when the truck backfired, as it had in so many dreams, on so many nights before. Maggie woke up. The sheets were soaked with sweat and the pillow with tears. She tasted salt on her lips as her chest heaved in grief once again. She sat up and hugged the damp pillow to herself and looked over to the mantle. Jeff's urn sat there between their pictures.

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quote:

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I wish Jeff would get a new car. Maggie peered out the front window from behind the wheel of Jeff's pride and joy. Once again, Jeff was about to tell her to turn the key on the old 51 GMC, while he poured gas into the ancient single barrel carburetor. Every other week, the old gas tank dumped so much rust into it, he had to drain out the fuel bowl and have Maggie help him re--prime it.
“Ok, hit it,” Jeff said. The world exploded in flames, when the truck backfired. As it had in so many dreams, on so many nights before, waking Maggie up. The sheets were soaked with sweat and her pillow with tears. She tasted salt as her chest heaved in grief once again. She sat up and hugged the damp pillow to herself and looked over to the mantle. Jeff's urn sat there between their pictures.

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But the actual story is not apparent in these first lines. I mean, I get it that her dream is a representation of what happened many years ago, but I'm of the opinion, 'So what'.

Its not a story in and of itself. There has to be more, and it has to be told right of the bat, or we'll never want to read it.

Hope this is helpful, and good luck!
Kee Stone

It was that dream again. Maggie thrashed helplessly in her sleep as she watched herself in the dream (bit of a problem with the POV here, consider taking out "thrashed helplessly in her sleep" as it is not something she would know about at the time while she is asleep). Once again, Jeff was about to tell her to turn the key on the old 51 GMC, while he poured gas into the ancient single barrel carburetor.(I don't know how I feel about this line, it sets up for the disaster to come; but even being as car retarded as I am, this doesnt sound like a good idea and seems almost comical)
Wake up, don't turn the key! her dreaming self cried out(stating this as what her "dreaming self" cries out makes me think she is saying it in the dream. I think you trying to convey that it is her "watching" self that is screaming this out; could be made clearer.) . “Ok, hit it,” Jeff said. The world exploded in flames,(lose the comma) when the truck backfired, as it had in so many dreams, on so many nights before. Maggie woke up. The sheets were soaked with sweat and the pillow with tears. She tasted salt on her lips (salt on the lips is ambiguous, from her tears and sweat? did she have a couple of saltines before bed? I would say you could even lose this added description without taking away from the story) as her chest heaved in grief once again. She sat up and hugged the damp pillow to herself and looked over to the mantle. Jeff's urn sat there between their pictures. (really awesome last line)

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only thing else to say is what im sure many otheres here will point out for you. Dreamsequences are cliche-y. As an added suggestion-- consider working it out so we don't know it's a dream until she actually awakes. It might make for a bit of confusion, but if you can show a dream in 13 lines and have her wake up, it may be worth it for the reader.

I'd break the "Maggie woke up" into it's own paragraph. There's some cutting that can be done, and I'll comment on it when I get more time, but the first version's a nice start.

I would read on with the 1st but not the 2nd version.

Oh, and having a friend in college that started his car with a screwdriver while someone turned the key, I could believe this scene even if pouring gas onto a spark seems insane.

I'm a little behind the game but I'll give you my two cents anyway. I actually liked the second version better provided that it starts with Jeff's line of dialogue. The sentence following is clunky.

The world exploded in flames, when the truck backfired. As it had in so many dreams, on so many nights before, waking Maggie up.

How about The world exploded in flames when the truck backfired. It jolted Maggie from sleep as it had on so many nights before.

Waking up seems a little tame for the scenario.