Prologue length

[The Dark One]

That's fine. We're all different, and Jac-jam did feel pulled into the story.

There is a very strong link to the story - several in fact - and clearly you can't find out what they were until you're into the story.

Mercifully, for those feeling confused, the prologue is very short.

But my point was really about a professional editor who had read the whole story but hadn't perceived the importance of the prologue.

 

[Finchbearer]

That's fine. We're all different, and Jac-jam did feel pulled into the story.

There is a very strong link to the story - several in fact - and clearly you can't find out what they were until you're into the story.

Mercifully, for those feeling confused, the prologue is very short.

But my point was really about a professional editor who had read the whole story but hadn't perceived the importance of the prologue.

I think it has problems beyond the editor not seeing its relevance to the wider plot. It’s like being in a white room. Is that the term? There’s no context, and there isn’t enough description of the space (for me). If the book is already out there then c’est la vie. If you’re happy with it, then that’s a start.

Your intro to The Fighting Man, is that the title? The opening to that is strong. We have first person protagonist tell us who is he, where he is, and the ensuing conflict all in the first two pages.

 

[Prince of Spires]

I'm with Finchbearer in that the writing of the prologue doesn't do much for me. Not because of missing a link to the story or something like that. But simply because I'm stuck in a white room with no clue at all about where I am or where I'm going. There's nothing in terms of worldbuilding that comes close to setting the scene. Only the devices hint at some kind of sci-fi setting, but that's about it.

 

[The Dark One]

I'm with Finchbearer in that the writing of the prologue doesn't do much for me. Not because of missing a link to the story or something like that. But simply because I'm stuck in a white room with no clue at all about where I am or where I'm going. There's nothing in terms of worldbuilding that comes close to setting the scene. Only the devices hint at some kind of sci-fi setting, but that's about it.

And that's all I wanted.

Finchbearer you get exactly the same sort of intro to the MC in Asparagus Grass in the first few pp as you do in TFM. But there are several "ahaaaa" moments in AG based on the prologue.

 

[pmmg]

The rest of the novel is written in a very different style and the free sample can be found here for anyone interested in what happens after the prologue...

Hmmmm.....

See, I would have avoided all of this by skipping the prologue Muhahahahaha....


I might have read it, but after I was further in.

 

[The Dark One]

Anyway... I shouldn't hijack the thread with my own work. My point was more about what the editor missed but it was an interesting experiment re a (deliberately vague) prologue in isolation from the main narrative.

And given that the prologue happened sometime before the main action it would have been hard to incorporate the key info in the same impactful way it genuinely has when it suddenly becomes relevant in the main narrative.

On to other people's prologues...