Prologues?

[R.S.Robertson]

My current story needs a prologue to concisely explain events that happened twenty-some years earlier. The information is important and, while I do plan on using flashbacks and stories to provide some of the information throughout the book (my protagonists don't know their history so it has to be done anyway) there is quite a bit that can only be done effectively as a prologue because nobody in the story knows all of what happened.

I've heard that you shouldn't write a prologue, that publishers don't like them and may reject your book if you include one, but some of my favorite stories have a prologue!

 

[Reaver]

Whoever said that you shouldn't write a prologue is full of what the residents of Tattooine call Bantha Puudu. I think that prologues can be an extremely important part of a story, especially when setting up the entire tale that you want to tell.

Just my opinion.

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

Personally, as a reader, I love a good prologue. Done well I think they add so much historical depth and/or feeling.

I think the rule for no prologues deals with not submitting them to an agent or editor as the beginning pages.

 

[Steerpike]

It comes down to personal tastes, of course. I'm all for going with your own vision of the story. That said, as a reader I'm not a fan of prologues. I've been known on many occasions to put a book back on the shelf when I see a prologue in it, particularly if it is more than a couple of pages long. It seems to me a prologue, by definition, is something that comes "before" the story. I'd rather the author just get on with the story.

I've bought books with prologues, of course. Some were very good. In other cases, they were boring as hell. In still other cases I don't know because I skipped them to get on to the actual story

 

[Benjamin Clayborne]

If your prologue's only purpose is to convey backstory, then you probably should figure out another way to do it. If the themes of the story depend on the reader knowing the whole backstory even while the characters don't, then yeah, you kind of need a prologue -- so you'd better make sure the prologue is interesting. One way to do this is to invent a character who can recount the important parts of the backstory to the reader, while simultaneously being interesting (and having his own mini-story arc in the prologue). We never have to see this character again; he can be a one-off. Or maybe he dies. Or maybe the prologue POV is that of some sort of omniscient deity, who still has a personality and is interesting to read about.

But what's more likely is that the reader does not need to know everything up front. This may sound silly, but it's true. People are good at backfilling holes in the information they have. I really don't need to know the whole history of the Galactic Empire and the Old Republic in order to get angry when Leia is captured by Vader. There's a very good chance that you don't need your prologue at all; maybe none of your characters individually have all the info, but if collectively they do, then your readers will get the whole picture eventually.

In general there's nothing wrong with prologues; they can be misused, but they can also be used very well. But using a prologue as a backstory infodump is almost always a terrible idea.

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

In general there's nothing wrong with prologues; they can be misused, but they can also be used very well. But using a prologue as a backstory infodump is almost always a terrible idea.

I agree with this whole-heartedly.

 

[R.S.Robertson]

As it's currently fleshed-in the prologue I have is almost a mini-story that's somewhere between three and five pages long. It could, conceivably, stand alone as long as the reader didn't care that they weren't going to know a whole lot about the characters or the precipitating events.

Rather than providing all of the background story that a reader may need (and the writer doesn't feel like telling in a more creative manner), this particular prologue gives a feel for the political climate and a glimpse into the overall society that the larger story fits into. Of course things will have changed (for the worse) in those twenty-odd years, but it gives a snapshot and a hint into what may be coming. The primary vehicle of the prologue is a massacre, the destruction of almost an entire family line with the exception of three people who are scattered to the winds, though not the reason behind it.

Directly following the prologue we enter the "real world", that is to say, the modern world of the United States rather than in the story world of the prologue and where the majority of the story will take place. All of the details left out of the prologue will be filled in throughout the remainder of the story, providing answers to the questions that were raises.

 

[The Dark One]

Wasn't there another thread exactly on this topic recently?

In my opinion the best reason to include a prologue is to let the reader know in advance something the main character doesn't yet know. This device can be used to great effect when handled well.

 

[Chime85]

It is your choice, and your choice alone. Personally, I dislike prologues in my stories. However, I have no aversion to them what so ever. The question you're looking for boils down to your writting style and the setting of your story.

If your prologue is told throughout your story (in smaller, bite sized pieces), but all in all, is the same. Ask yourself, is there a need for a prologue? By defining my prologue, am I simply giving away important plot developments yet to be told?

On the other hand, there is always room to create a living, breating setting for your story. A prologue could (and has proven to be) the very spring board to throw your story into the readers imagination and feeling.

x

 

[Graylorne]

I'm not fond of prologues. If I had a lot of information I thought people had to know, I'd put it on my website, perhaps as an e-novelette, with a link in the book.

 

[Caged Maiden]

So I had a prologue I was in love with. It was 17 pages long and no that's not a typo. Everyone who read it hated it, and I was so sad because I loved it. It set up my whole story, connected dots and gave background information, and I LOVED IT!

Now, it is one tiny paragraph, an excerpt from a book, and all the character interaction from my prologue became chapter one. NOW I'm in love with THAT.

Stick with it, and of course you will be the final judge, but listen to people and see what they are really saying. Though there appears no other way right now, I am absolutely sold on what I've done, and I stand as a testament to there always being another way.

 

[R.S.Robertson]

Ain't that the truth anihow!

That's one of the things I love about writing, there's always more than one way to tell a story.

 

[Lord Darkstorm]

Hmm, if the characters don't know the history, and they will find it out along the way, why do you feel you need to cheat the reader by telling them what is going on prior to the characters? Readers like a bit of mystery in our stories, and if the characters don't know something, you don't have to tell the reader until the characters find out. Half the fun of that situation is that the reader gets to learn about what is going on with the characters.

Don't fall so in love with your history and cleverness that you cheat the reader out of some suspense and mystery that is better left to be found out in the story than up front before it starts. The only person who loves what you have done at page one (be it prolog or the start of the story) is you. The reader doesn't yet care about any of it, so make sure if you want to give away so much information before it starts that it is for the readers benefit not yours.

 

[The Dark One]

Sorry Darkstorm but I profoundly disagree.

As I said above, one really effective way of using a prologue is to let the reader know something in advance that the MC doesn't know. What is the effect of this? There are probably several but the main two are to set up a pleasurable expectation in the mind of the reader, but more importantly, to inspire tension/drama in the mind of the reader as s/he watches the MC walking obliviously into peril.

Get this right and the prologue is your friend.

Having said all that, I've never used one in a published book. I've done it once in a half-written draft in order to let the reader know what an evil bastard a particular character really was and thereby inspire drama as the reader watches the MC (who they're supposed to really like) getting sucked deeper and deeper into the villain's world. They wouldn't be anywhere near as scared for the MC if they hadn't read the prologue. (Of course, there are no readers yet, and chances are that story will never be finished. But you catch my drift, I hope.)

 

[R.S.Robertson]

Too many good points on both sides of the fence so I'm still undecided. I suppose I'll end up doing what I always do when I can't decide... wait and see!

 

[soulless]

Simplest thing regarding prologues is... If you want one then have one, if you don't then don't. Its your story, do it your way

 

[Caged Maiden]

Right on. I think we've all read prologues we liked (excluding Steerpike ) and some we found unnecessary. The thing is, an editor will probably let you know if it's too long, or maybe way before that you will have a critique partner read your work and suggest some things you can do to make it shorter.

Like I said before, mine was 17 pages long. Now it's one paragraph which fits nicely and a new Chapter 1. You can always try it both ways and see which you like better. If you want someone else to look it over, send me a PM I'm happy to give you unbiased opinion and offer any constructive suggestions I can think of.

 

[R.S.Robertson]

Thanks anihow, when I'm ready I'll need all the constructive suggestions I can get, but right now it's still all just making it's way out of the primordial ooze! I'll definitely let you know though.

For now I have a very rough outline of the prologue that I've been using to "store the information" in my portfolio if you want to have a look. I have about three different rough drafts written out based on that outline, I just don't know if I'm going to include it upfront or not, or even how much if I do include it. It depends on where things go and what happens as everything else starts to flesh out.

 

[Phin Scardaw]

If your prologue's only purpose is to convey backstory, then you probably should figure out another way to do it.

I really don't need to know the whole history of the Galactic Empire and the Old Republic in order to get angry when Leia is captured by Vader.

In general there's nothing wrong with prologues; they can be misused, but they can also be used very well. But using a prologue as a backstory infodump is almost always a terrible idea.

I'm totally going to poke at this one, and I hope it doesn't land me in hot water! Every episode of Star Wars begins with a scripted prologue! I wonder if Lucas had a bunch of producers barking at him to remove it? Anyway, no one seems to have ever complained about these prologues. A lot of films have these. I think Willow has one, too.

I've always felt that prologues should be used as a teaser more than anything else: set up a bit of suspense rather than info-dump. I got involved in a big discussion about prologues in a previous thread; and this led me to thinking about them more than I normally would have. I ended up composing a prologue and an epilogue for my novel which I just finished. I knew that both would be of the dreaded info-dumps, so I tried to keep them short. I'm going to post the prologue here to see what kinds of reactions it gets. Love it or leave it!

R.S - I think you need to decide what is best for your story. Get the opinions of others, for sure, but stick to your guns if you feel like you need a prologue. Just make sure you write a damn good one!

Here's mine:

Prologue

These are the final days of the Olymphin.

The men and women of the Rión that once prospered from the fostering empire of the mysterious Sylphs have since suffered the travesty of the Elf Battles. There has been much division of peoples among the Five Realms, and some make claims that the Mystics erred when they used the New Songs to engineer the Elfs — enhanced life forms that forged further Songs of even greater power and might.

To everyone's unending regret, these supreme beings that were meant to usher in a golden age brought with their conflicts only ruin and devastation. The two factions of Elfs — the Saolo and the Nuolo — have been segregated these twenty years; for the Sylphs have sung into being an impermeable barrier between the Olymphin cities where the Elf Knights stand guard, and the underground dekems where the rebel Dark Elfs were driven after their defeat. Here, they have formed a new force with an aim for retaliation: the Hylmena.

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

Ok, here's my opinion. It's meant to be constructive....

Yes, you have a major info dump there. Right at the beginning of the book, as a prologue, when I don't even feel any story connection yet? Well it's just boring to me.

Every single thing in those 2 paragraphs could be relayed to the reader during the actual story itself & in much more interesting ways.