Prologues

[Faye]

I'm new to the writing community and am just learning that if your book has a prologue, you're asking to have your manuscript tossed in the bin by the majority of agents, and editors. I was surprised by this at first, but then started reviewing some of my favorite books from the past ten years and noticed that they either didn't have a prologue, or there was one, but it was very sneakily snuck into the first chapter of the book in a creative way.
What do you all think about this move away from the use of prologue? Do you think that a prologue is often a crutch for back story, or artificially inciting action?
I'm currently work shopping ways to incorporate a more interesting and contemporary use of a prologue in my current book and would love to hear all of your thoughts about what you find important in a prologue, what you've seen contemporary fantasy (both YA and adult fantasy writers) doing to make this work in their story telling for today's readers.
I try very hard to keep thoughts of publishing and everything that comes with that out of my mind while drafting, but that specter will always hang over me, and inspire thoughts like this.

I certainly agree with the trend that many authors shy away from prolouges recently. Though personally, I am not sure why. It seems to me that bad prologues are forgettable and good prolouges hook you in quicker. I would say having a good one is an asset but having a poor one isn't a huge detriment. But I am no editor!

 

[Penpilot]

I certainly agree with the trend that many authors shy away from prolouges recently. Though personally, I am not sure why. It seems to me that bad prologues are forgettable and good prolouges hook you in quicker. I would say having a good one is an asset but having a poor one isn't a huge detriment. But I am no editor!

If a story needs a prologue, it needs one. Some of my novels have them. Some don't. But prologues can be a risk. Agents and editors see hundreds if not thousands of manuscripts, and at any one time the may have a pile of them to get through, which is a lot of work. If from their experience 90% of all manuscripts with a prologue end up being terrible, then they can whittle down their work by simply tossing aside all manuscripts with a prologue in them and have a 90% certainty that they didn't miss anything good without ever reading a word. Or if they do read the prologue and if it's done poorly, it'll get your story tossed aside without the meat of it being read.

But like I said, some stories need them. Here's one example of a story that needed on that I'm sure many have read, the prologue for A Game of Thrones, the first book in the ASOIF series. The prologue establishes the stakes for the whole series, and gives the proper context to the events and actions of Ned Stark in the first chapter. Those actions spell out exactly what type of story and world we are dealing with. Without the prologue, that proper context isn't there, and we see things differently.

So people should be very thoughtful about whether to put a prologue in or not, and should seriously ask themselves if they really need that prologue or could the achieve what they want within the confines of the story proper.

 

[Incanus]

It can still be used effectively, of course. But if we're talking to an aversion to them, especially among agents and editors, then I think it is something to be aware of at the least. If an agent sees manuscript after manuscript with bad prologues that reinforce all of the reasons that having a prologue makes them groan, then your manuscript isn't done any favors by having on even if it doesn't have all of the pitfalls agents and editors hate. Unless there's a very good reason to have one, I just don't see an advantage to it. I once heard an agent advise not to put anything crucial in one because some readers will skip them, in which case I really have to question whether one is needed.

I agree with all of this. And I would suggest cutting out a prologue (or anything, really) that didn't have crucial info in it.

I suppose for me, there are two separate issues. Prologue as a storytelling tool, and the practical considerations of including one. The first is strictly abstract and theoretical, while the second is contextual and contemporary. It would be a good idea for any aspiring writer to be aware of the current views on this (and other subjects too). I believe the viewpoint against prologues is a little nonsensical, but I fully acknowledge it all the same.

 

[Faye]

If a story needs a prologue, it needs one. Some of my novels have them. Some don't. But prologues can be a risk. Agents and editors see hundreds if not thousands of manuscripts, and at any one time the may have a pile of them to get through, which is a lot of work. If from their experience 90% of all manuscripts with a prologue end up being terrible, then they can whittle down their work by simply tossing aside all manuscripts with a prologue in them and have a 90% certainty that they didn't miss anything good without ever reading a word. Or if they do read the prologue and if it's done poorly, it'll get your story tossed aside without the meat of it being read.

But like I said, some stories need them. Here's one example of a story that needed on that I'm sure many have read, the prologue for A Game of Thrones, the first book in the ASOIF series. The prologue establishes the stakes for the whole series, and gives the proper context to the events and actions of Ned Stark in the first chapter. Those actions spell out exactly what type of story and world we are dealing with. Without the prologue, that proper context isn't there, and we see things differently.

So people should be very thoughtful about whether to put a prologue in or not, and should seriously ask themselves if they really need that prologue or could the achieve what they want within the confines of the story proper.

Interesting! I hadn’t thought about prologues in the sense of purely historical context. Which may sound silly, but I rarely read fiction with an editing eye. Great insight and well said.

 

[Danskin]

I guess I am partly wondering why people bother with submissions and agents, especially if you find that they are unfairly rejecting work without reading it. But assuming that this is they way you want to go, I guess the simplest approach would be to avoid a prologue, at least at the submission stage. You could always add it in a later draft.

I've got mixed feelings about them as a reader. If they are too long, I get impatient at the info dump, and want to get on with the story. But done well, they provide context and things to look out for during the main story.