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Prologues
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I do read the prologue.
In my opinion, it usually is important to the story.
In my opinion, it usually is important to the story.
I always read the prologue. Always. I feel compelled to. The author made a point to add it so I feel like it must be necessary:)To me, a prologue is usually an importance from the past (of the story). But I can't really say what should or shouldn't be in a prologue. It's all in the eyes of the beholder. It either helps the story, or some may see it as pointless. When the author wrote it, they felt it was important to the story, basically what Rowena said, so it's important to me to read it:)
I *love* prologues! They help me settle in the way children do before they hear a good story.Some invaluable uses:
- Providing backstory by exploring a scene, not necessarily years' worth of explication. Using one scene is more powerful example: a book about a rocky marriage could have a prologue wherein the female lead is a little girl listening to her parents yelling at one another in the next room. She clutches her doll, terrified.
- introducing the story from a minor character's point of view. Example: a local coffee shop owner closes up for the night and reminisces about all the people she's met in her shop over the years. One person, your main character, stands out to her because (insert memory/reason)
- creating tension/foreshadow. Example: A veteran CIA operative is staring down the barrel of a loaded gun, the beautiful woman holding it eyeing him coolly, not flinching. He quickly wonders how he gets himself into these situations. The book may actually be a YA novel about a group of gifted teens who dream of starting their own espionage league when they grow up.
- throwing off your reader in a good way. Example: your book may be about a woman who finally opens her heart to love after being a widow for the past eight years. But in the prologue she is lovingly putting something on her late husband's grave and telling him she will never leave him. So all throughout the novel we are desperately hoping she finally accepts the male lead's proposal but because of the prologue we can't be sure that will happen. In one of the last scenes we are back at the graveyard scene and we see the woman leaving a photograph of herself by her late husband's headstone. Our mind's flash back to the prologue and now it makes sense. Her new husband (yay!) gently helps her to her feet and they go off to start their new life together. The reader is relieved and wants to laugh and cheer and cry at the same time!
Nicole wrote: "I've blogged about this topic previously, and have even polled some Google+ groups about it because I think it still kind of blows my mind that a good percentage of readers do not read prologues of..."1. Do you read book prologues?
Yes. Always.
2. Why or why not?
Its part of the story so I read it, plus I would assume that it plays some major role in the story, so i would be missing out if I didn't read it.
3. What should and/or shouldn't a prologue be or include?
Anything you want can be in the prologue, I don't feel like there are any particular rules about it, totally up to the writer!
Mod
Yes.
2. Why or why not?
Cuz I reckon the author wants me to. If I included a prologue, I'd hope that people read it sooo...
*does unto others, blah blah blah*
3. What should and/or shouldn't a prologue be or include?
Ehhhh, Princess Jane beat me to it. What she said ^_~
Have some hugsss,
Ann
Annie wrote: "Ehhhh, Princess Jane beat me to it. What she said ^_~"Glad I saved you some typing!! (ɔ◔︣‿◔︣)ɔ ❤
In one of three Web articles I quoted in my blog http://www.nicolerlocker.com/2016/06/..., I think it summed up nicely what I would mostly agree that prologues should and shouldn't be, but there are so many conflicting opinions on this out there, it's crazy.In this article, The Seven Deadly Sins of Prologues by Kristen Lamb, what SHOULD a prologue be includes:
-To resolve a time gap with info critical to the story
-A critial element in the backstory is relevant to the plot.
The reasons NOT to use a prologue include:
-A vehicle for a massive info dump
-Has nothing to do with the main story
-Having the sole purpose to "hook" the reader
-Being overly long
-Written in a totally different style and voice that is never tied back into the main story
-Having the sole purpose of setting the mood
Yes, I read prologues. If you are going to take the time to read the rest of the book then why not.I agree with the blog post on what they should not do except the set the mood. I think the prologue should set the mood though maybe not it's sole purpose. I think a misdirect in the prologue as someone stated earlier is a recipe for an angry reader.
I'm rather shocked that some people don't read the prologue. It's a part of the story and the author put it there for a reason. The prologue sometimes sets up the story and can introduce information that will prove useful to the readers. For my trilogy, I used prologues to help describe the world I created and also create scenes that are important to know before the main storyline. I don't plan using prologues for all my stories but it's a nice feature to use.
L.C. wrote: "I'm rather shocked that some people don't read the prologue."Me too! I don't know why you would buy a book to read and not read all of it!!
Bumping this topic, it's been a while since anyone commented. Any newcomers have any insights?I'm about to start my third book in a romantic suspense series and one of my characters is very well known in the other books, but it's her chance for her own book. Yay! My hero for the third book was mentioned in book 1 and made a small appearance in book 2, and they "know" each other, but they've never officially had an interaction in any of my books. So, I thought a prologue would be a good thing.
If I'm beta reading, I skip the prologue to see if the author can cut it. I would say 9 times out of 10, prologues are unnecessary. Part of the draw to reading is trying to put pieces together, and most of the time prologues spoil that too much. But if it's in a published book, I'll read it.
I did an informal Facebook poll a while ago and was surprised at how many folks DON'T read the prologue! I judge contests of unpublished manuscripts and usually the prologue in those is unnecessary (which I very gently tell the author).I read them. Especially in a romantic suspense when the prologue is in the villain's POV.
Tara says: I *love* prologues! They help me settle in the way children do before they hear a good story.Tara makes some good points including the one above which captured in words what I often feel.
A good prologue can tell you why the rest of the story happens.
Totally agree with Amanda - it's there for a reason, so why wouldn't it be read???
I'll reiterate what I said before: Prologues are controversial. Most of them are totally unnecessary. The information in most prologues could be incorporated into the first chapter, but it is the author's choice as to whether to use one or not.If you have a prologue, it needs to be something that would be totally out of place in a first chapter or information which sets the novel up. Like several have mentioned, if it doesn't add something necessary to the novel, it can be deleted.
I do have one novel where I used a prologue. Without it, you would wonder what was happening in several areas of the book. It is from the villain's POV and gives you insight as to what makes him tick. Throughout the book, you get snippets, showing how sick this person is and each snippet of their thoughts are related to that prologue, so in this one book, it is an integral part of the story.
As one person above pointed out, if you are able to read the book without the prologue and it is complete, then is should be deleted. Personally, I'm not a big fan of prologues and generally will skip to the first chapter if the prologue is an information dump, doesn't hold my attention, etc. I have discovered most prologues are totally unnecessary to the story and serves no real purpose which is the reason I don't use them unless absolutely necessary. Even some very well known authors have had prologues which should have been cut.
I don't mind a prologue as long as it talks about events that happened before Chapter One. I don't care for prologues that serve as teasers to get readers to read the story by flashing forward to some intense event, only to have readers move to Chapter One and have to start at the beginning of the story.
Mod
*grins sheepishly*
I did this. Tee hee.
I do read the prologues, but I didn't when I was younger. No idea why, I just didn't. The first time I can remember reading a prologue was in a series I read as a teenager where the prologue did help to explain the rest of the story. Without the prologue, certain events just didn't make sense.I didn't study fiction when I did my MA, but some of my friends who did had a class discussion about prologues and if they're really necessary. The general consensus was that they're not really unless the story is set in a completely different time to the rest of the novel but helps to set the scene, or the POV is different. One of the main reasons for this was that it's pretty common for readers to ignore them and think they're irrelevant, and also because they can break up the story too much.
The first chapter of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire always felt prologue-like to me since it's the only chapter (that I can remember) that doesn't focus on Harry. I wonder if they put it as the first chapter knowing that not everyone would read it?
I'm using a prologue in my next book to cover some events that happen to the main characters when they are children. It keeps me from having to use flashbacks which can be awkward.
Erin writes, " It keeps me from having to use flashbacks which can be awkward. A good point.
Anna Faversham wrote: "Erin writes, " It keeps me from having to use flashbacks which can be awkward. A good point."
:) Readers hate info dumps lol.
I used one in my first book. It was one page, the article from the newspaper about her father's murder, in which she is mentioned. It helped explain why the first chapter starts with "I went to church to practice hate and revenge," because the murderer was there, a prominent member. And yes, I always read prologues.
Erin wrote: "Anna Faversham wrote: "Erin writes, " It keeps me from having to use flashbacks which can be awkward. A good point."
:) Readers hate info dumps lol."
My time travel book starts with a prologue to explain why my heroine is behaving strangely, otherwise I'd have had to write lengthy paragraphs to tell any readers.
I LOVE prologues. Both reading and writing. It gets me hooked, waiting for how it ties into the story. When I write prologues, I try and get the reader into my midway point in my story and into my main characters head to intrigue them.
I love prologues too. I write them, depending on the story. Okay, now that I think on it, I've only done one and I sort of rock out with the epilogue thing. But I like prologues. I think they can sometimes set a story going in the right direction
I like for it to be clear at the beginning whether the prologue is about a past event or a future one. I like to skip prologues that talk about something that happened in the future. For me, they are like spoilers. I once read one that talked about events that happened ten days later than the events in Chapter One. I thought, "Ten days? Really? Why?" It was such a spoiler for me when I started reading Chapter One, knowing full well what was about to happen, that I didn't bother to read the book.
I have serious prologue enthusiasm issues! They can be really awesome and do a lot of heavy lifting for your story. My writing partner, husband and beta readers love my prologue for my next book as much as or more than the story lol. When my sister read it she burst into tears and wouldn't speak to me for a day because of what happened to one of the characters. Prologues can really help your reader jump into the story with excitement and important information.
Mod
Mod
Oh, man! I was all excited to learn about a twerp week!
twerp! That's great. I actually love that word and have used it. To me, it's up there with dweeb. LOL! My prologue is set two years before the rest of the story and it was a very necessary prologue. It set the tone. In my book that I have coming out in the fall, the prologue takes place ten months prior to the rest of the story so I guess I'm into past prologues.
Kathy, I think I might actually know what book you're talking about. I can't imagine there are many books with a prologue that starts 10 days in the future. I remember when I read it, I did a huh and then when I worked my way up to that part in the story, I was annoyed that I had read it. It felt a bit anticlimactic.
Anyhoo, prologues rock when done the right way.
Ember, I usually put the first chapter/prologue at the end of my previous book too!
Mod
Mod
TWERP acronyms, eh?
To Write Every Romance Prose
Time We Embrace Real P(view spoiler) (I legit can't think of another P word. Sorry, not sorry.)
^_^
Mod
I kinda got in a habit of doing some sort of "prologue" for every book, although I kinda tend to lean toward a flash forward vs a flashback. Not sure why *shrugs*
I think either forward or back works. I just like to know which, in advance, so I can skip the forward ones.
Mod
Thank you for the insight!!
***mwahhh***
I mean, something simple like "a year earlier" or "six months ago" or whatever indicator works. There was a time when prologues were used just for past events or backstory and flashforwards were labeled as such right from the start. Now, prologues are used both ways, so a heads up to readers is always a good thing. I generally close the book when I read a prologue used as a flashforward. I think it's because I want to enter a story without being thrust into it by some high-action scene or emotional event unless it takes place in Chapter One.
Mod
I have prologues for my historicals but not contemporaries. I have epilogues in the contemporaries but not the historicals...weird huh? I know people think they are unnecessary and don't read them, but I do and I like them. I know that they are an old and often discouraged trope but since it is a historical series I think it gives the book a historical feel. Every chapter in my historicals is titled with the date and location because if is a very long complicated story (trilogy) and I think it will help the reader keep track. The Prologues have the date and location as well as being titled for the reader.
The prologue of the first book is the scene that ends the second book, so a flash forward. I guess Ember and Kathy will not read the book... lol. It is a tiny spoiler but is crafted to tantalize and not reveal too much. You learn one of the two main male chars has been in prison and is attempting to escape but you are left not knowing if he survives which is a real cliffhanger, literally. I often hate cliffhangers in other books but yeah I'm doing it.
The second book I haven't written the prologue yet since I am not sure where I am breaking Book 1 and 2.
Book 3's prologue is more of traditional as a general mood creator, since over a year has passed between the end of Book 2 and the start of 3. It also contains some clues of things that happened in that year that will be plot pivotal later. Is that foreshadowing since it actually already happened chronologically but is unknown to the reader?
Anyway, if anyone wants to see how I'm doing it, I have both prologues posted under my writing samples here at GR.
I always read the prologue. I don't know where the prologue hate came from.Though, it should not be a completely info dump... and if it is, it needs to be engaging.
So my questions to you guys/girls are:
1. Do you read book prologues?
2. Why or why not?
3. What should and/or shouldn't a prologue be or include?