tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post7306353524225477616..comments2024-03-05T13:51:24.898-07:00Comments on Spacefreighters Lounge : THE MUCH MALIGNED PROLOGUEUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-81668191655020903172013-04-25T20:06:11.778-06:002013-04-25T20:06:11.778-06:00This is really interesting. I've known for a l...This is really interesting. I've known for a long time that prologues can be an instant turn-off, and in my opinion that's because they're so frequently misused. I write in the fantasy genre and BELIEVE ME, it's way overdone over here. Fantasy writers tend to obnoxiously fill prologues with worldbuilding rules and family trees or whatever, and it's no wonder that we've more or less trained our publishing professionals to roll their eyes when they see "PROLOGUE" at the top of Page 1.<br /><br />Oddly enough, my (agented) book has a prologue, but I didn't call it that. My chapters are numbered, so I simply called it "0." Maybe that helped in stopping it from feeling like a prologue.<br /><br />But it definitely was a prologue. In my case it was for the character to establish voice. It's a bit of a peculiar storytelling style--a first-person deal with the protagonist writing her autobiography--so she decides to start the book by telling you who she is, why she's significant, and why she's really pissed off. (And she also confesses immediately that she isn't sure she's made the right choice in how to start the story, which may draw readers in a little.) The book has a prologue because my character is the kind of person who would write one. None of my other books have prologues.<br /><br />Oddly enough, I've had no complaints about my prologue. Except for the fact that it's entirely in italics (as are all the spots in the book where the character is talking to the reader, as she tends to do). I'm open to suggestions on how to avoid prejudice against both long italics paragraphs and prologues, but I figure my publisher will make that final decision. ^__^Julie Sondra Deckerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15755582329896793392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-19089346984522255712013-04-25T05:46:46.058-06:002013-04-25T05:46:46.058-06:00Oh, yeah, I included the prologue for UNCHAINED ME...Oh, yeah, I included the prologue for UNCHAINED MEMORY--all three times I entered. For those of you who don't know, that's the one in which I kill off three kids (off-page, but still . . .)! It's a rather dramatic beginning, but necessary to everything that follows. Not something you could skip and get the rest of the book, Greta :). But also separate in time and tone from Chapter One.<br /><br />Two GH "panels" rejected the ms., one loved it enough to give it a nomination. Strangely enough, though I've had LOTS of rejections from both agents and editors, very few have mentioned the prologue. In fact, I can't remember one who did.Donna S. Frelickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16431686010313020234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-86434728423122891282013-04-24T22:33:19.989-06:002013-04-24T22:33:19.989-06:00Donna, just curious - did you include your prologu...Donna, just curious - did you include your prologue in your Golden Heart entry? <br /><br />I remember the Twilight books did something I hadn't seen before: a prologue that was actually a scene from the climax of the book. It wasn't included like marketing copy, as a front-pages teaser. It was formatted like a prologue. I remember finding it a little annoying, but it occurred to me that it was maybe a publisher addition, because the first book in the series has a pretty slow start (by YA/vampire/paranormal standards). Sharon Lynn Fisherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11886205665048406062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-30999669795868180342013-04-20T10:19:33.123-06:002013-04-20T10:19:33.123-06:00To be frank I don't know what reader is not us...To be frank I don't know what reader is not used to prologues by now it is a part of reading sometimes. It is just like any other part of a book when it's good we love it when it's bad we hate it. I have read prologues that have made me giddy with excitement for the rest of the book. Some have even made me cry and you know I had to keep reading to make sure all my people were okay. So my 2 cents which its probably worth even less. I love when authors do them and do what is best for the story they are writing.Bookswaggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03972332764055245417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-30186582087785658522013-04-20T08:06:06.872-06:002013-04-20T08:06:06.872-06:00Well, you ladies, being the writers you are, have ...Well, you ladies, being the writers you are, have all just proven my points about prologues, haven't you? :) In the case of TITANIC, the prologue introduces the main character and narrator in the present day, who tells this tale in her unique voice starting with "chapter one". In Greta's examples, the prologue introduces a key element of the plot, which is vital to the main story. In Pippa and Rinelle's cases, you found you could incorporate that backstory into the main body of the work without the prologue. (Which is obviously what those authors whose prologues you skipped SHOULD have done, Greta! If you didn't have to go back and read it to figure out what was going on, then the prologue wasn't necessary.)<br /><br />And, as you said, Laurie, emotion is the key to doing this well. The scene has to affect the reader viscerally so they are eager to keep reading.Donna S. Frelickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16431686010313020234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-79639604022413814402013-04-20T06:31:37.907-06:002013-04-20T06:31:37.907-06:00Ahh the poor prologue! I can understand the issues...Ahh the poor prologue! I can understand the issues though, when misused, they're either confusing or pointless, but when done well, I think they have the potential to add a lot to a story.<br /><br />I started with a prologue for my current story, a look back in time at how my characters ended up stranded on a lost planet, but cut it out in the edit. I still like that little story (included it on my webpage as a deleted scene), but it wasn't the right place to start the story.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05651744055513494283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-82169686604417644522013-04-20T01:17:14.273-06:002013-04-20T01:17:14.273-06:00As a general rule I agree with you on prologues - ...As a general rule I agree with you on prologues - they are often mis-used, especially by beginners. I tend to skip prologues and start at chapter one.<br /><br />That said, I've written one myself - for a very specific, well thought out purpose, for which I could see no other realistic approach. Jack McDevitt, who writes best-selling hard SF, always has a prologue. In his case, he describes an event in the past, often a calamity of some kind (they are usually long prologues) and the characters in the rest of the book must solve the events. I've also seen an excellent prologue in a book about a guitar, where the reader learns about the guitar's history - but the characters are blissfully unaware. It worked outstandingly well. <br /><br />So... a prologue is a literary device, but (as with ellipses) it should be used with care.Gretahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06011218229698210595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-33311087801707890522013-04-20T00:35:43.362-06:002013-04-20T00:35:43.362-06:00I frequently see the 'no prologue' instruc...I frequently see the 'no prologue' instruction on guidelines, or injunctions not to do them on Twitter. One thing I must add is that many eBooks (my own from Lyrical included) have the book blurb AND an excerpt at the start, so a prologue would seem overkill in pushing the start of the actual book further. My view at the moment is I want to throw a reader straight into the action and thread back story throughout. But in the past I've written prologues, and would again if I felt ot was right for the MS. That said, I think Donna's point of keeping it to a couple of paragraphs is a good idea.<br />I often find prologues are done badly, and often done in omniscent, whereas the book might be third close, which jars. Writers try to write it like a film, with a sneaky preview of the unseen monster/bad guy etc, which works on the screen but not so much in a book.<br />Again, I think it's something that new writers can't pull off, so the industry makes it a no-no. It needs to be done well to work.Pippa Jayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15146591827060731958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7808733415551134993.post-65046886718052355932013-04-19T22:10:24.739-06:002013-04-19T22:10:24.739-06:00I often wrestle with the enigma of the prologue to...I often wrestle with the enigma of the prologue too. I understand why some agents and editors hate them--I've read some dreadfully dull pros before. But I think a prologue done well can be very effective. <br /><br />Remember Titanic? It's an example of a prologue (and epilogue) done in a film. Maybe one of the elements that made the movie such a monster blockbuster was how it was told--through the eyes of a modern day survivor who'd lived and loved aboard the doomed ship some ninety years before. Without that cinematic prologue introducing the aged Rose, it would have been just another Titanic tale. And there have been many good ones, but this one has become the standout story that everyone thinks of when someone says "Titanic." <br /><br />The connection the reader develops with the main character comes about via the reveal in the prologue of who she is and what she experienced. Take that prologue (and its equally effective bookend epilogue) away and the story just wouldn't have the same emotional punch. <br /><br />I think there are times a prologue can work extremely well in a novel. Keeping it short, intriguing and meaningful is key, but engaging the reader emotionally is paramount.L. A. Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01198035351359321392noreply@blogger.com