What do you think of Action Prologues?

[Archon of Cringe]

I have shown my draft to other people and started with an action prologue that showed an important battle in the world's history and introduced important characters who appear later. The feedback I got was that people were lost in the story, and the pace was jarring. Starting with a climax hurt the tension I wanted to build. Additionally, people were more invested in the prologue POV character than the actual main character. This could result from my inexperience as a writer and botching several other elements. What I do know is that I went and redid the opening chapter in my draft to focus more on the main character's daily life and added an action scene at the end and liked it a lot better, and so did the people who read it.

 

[ThinkerX]

Most of the time, at least some buildup to an action scene is necessary, even if it is but a sentence or two to introduce a crucial character and the purpose of his action, aka -

'General Zed mustered his troops on a hillside out the city. 'There is no choice! We stop these beasts here and now, or our city dies!''

That names a major character (at least initially) and the reason for the gory action soon to follow.

 

[Demesnedenoir]

This can be tricky. I have something of a risky chapter 1 in my next book. I wrote two versions, one with an intro and one not, where the main character is hanged before the reader knows what's going on. Jarring, yes, but when she comes back with limited memories it sets the stage for the reader to be at the same point she is.

Eve of Snows starts with a character who is not the main character but he remains a POV until the end of the book. That's also risky. The ideal start is with the main character in "normal" life... and yet, lots of successful books don't do that.

 

[pmmg]

Without out seeing it, it would be hard to assess...
(and if you want to post it, you need 5 posts first).

Somethings from afar....

Its a prolog. I don't think those are required to follow the rules of the rest of the story. So, they can have different POV, and events which are meant to be unknown with the promise it will make sense later. But....that is not the same as, don't worry about it, its fine if your feedback is its not. If your readers are confused, maybe they are not feeling they are connected in the prolog. Often, I skip the prolog anyway, cause I want to get on with the story.

Action scenes are overrated. In movies, I would call them CGI-Boring. Just cause its actiony does not make it interesting. If the action is not connected to anything, then its just fluff. Something meaningful has to happen.

From what you describe, I would suspect getting to the action left the reader feeling too disconnected from what it all means.

But, if you rewrote and like something else better, than....problem solved.

Edit:
I should add, all three of my stories have a prolog. They are short, and are introducing something that is separate from the rest of story, in that the characters dont know this, but it helps make sense of their world. I used them to introduce the mystery of the stories. Feedback is, people dont complain about the story element as much as my style of writing them. I am not sure what to do about that. I choose the style on purpose and like it that way. I am not sure what will give on that. Maybe the editor will straighten me out.

 

[Finchbearer]

I like an unusual prologue, but prefer them to be on the shorter side. A big battle scene could work, but I wouldn’t want to read more than 1000-2000 words of it. If you’re going for something cinematic, like you would see in a film or something, then I’d say you would need to translate this well into a fiction setting and describe elements you wouldn’t get from a visual.

 

[Archon of Cringe]

The Prologue was only 5-7 pages. I agree it would be difficult to assess without seeing it, but looking back, it did feel disconnected from the story in the next chapter. It went from a big fantasy battle of monsters to someone planning to rob a noble. I might try a prologue again as the drafts go by and I get a clearer idea of what I want for my book. In the case of others, isn't a big action prologue a little clickbaity? Do people struggle to be invested without frontloading bombastic action?

 

[pmmg]

Do people struggle to be invested without frontloading bombastic action?

I would say almost the opposite. Getting invested is what happens when I start to internalize the characters.

In the case of others, isn't a big action prologue a little clickbaity?

Probably, but how much clickbaity stuff do you click on that has any reward behind it. Easily clicked, easily left. Go for substance and meaning. It will win better investments.

 

[Archon of Cringe]

I felt more invested when I started the story with my main character's daily life. However, my current writing group had mixed reactions. Different people were invested at different points of the chapter, and one said they weren't hooked until the action picked up.

 

[pmmg]

Well....

The sad truth is, while they are evaluating your story, you have to evaluate them. It may be the one who likes the action is the one you should give the most credit to, it may also be they have the least useful feedback. I can't know... I will say, if you post it up, you may get some opinions here.

I'd also say, I would skip a prolog that is 5-7 pages to start a book.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

Well....

The sad truth is, while they are evaluating your story, you have to evaluate them. It may be the one who likes the action is the one you should give the most credit to, it may also be they have the least useful feedback. I can't know... I will say, if you post it up, you may get some opinions here.

I'd also say, I would skip a prolog that is 5-7 pages to start a book.

Agreed. There's another term for this: Chapter One.

We have a strong tendency to start in media res - in the middle of the action - and the trick is making your audience care really, really fast. That's hard, but doable with practice.

 

[Prince of Spires]

I personally think that action scenes are some of the hardest scenes to write. The reason is that it doesn't play to the strengths of the medium. A movie is great for showing an action scene, since it's visual. The watcher knows what people are doing and where they are and what's going on. You can have Jacky Chan hit people for 10 minutes and it makes for a great scene in a movie.

In a book not so much. Reading "He hit someone, then he hit someone in a different way. He hit someone while running up a ladder. Then he punched someone with a delicate vase" and so on makes for boring reading. Instead, you need to get into someone's head. You need to create mental stakes, create tension, and be clear about what's going on. You are basically doing the same is in other scenes, except that there's also a fight going on. That's hard work. It's a lot harder than a conversation or describing the scenery. Even more so when it's a big battle, since you want to show both the overal battle and the details of a single person fighting.

This is also why people often recommend against starting with a fight scene by the way. People are not invested in the characters yet, they don't know what's going on, who the good guys even are, or why they should care about the fight. Now, that doesn't mean you shouldn't start with a fight scene. Just that you need to be aware of this.

In general, there is nothing wrong with a prologue as such. Just know why you are including it. Make sure it really is something that needs to be told. Plenty of great novels have them.

If readers are saying that they are more invested in the prologue characters then the chapter 1 characters, then the Prologue is likely not the issue, but rather it's with chapter 1. Make sure the main character is interesting, and that something is happening. Add some conflict to the scene or some mystery that makes the reader keep reading.

 

[Finchbearer]

I don’t think there is much room for click bait culture in fiction, or at least not in the books I’ve read. That’s where I suppose a good editor has taken anything by misleading or irrelevant out of the writing. I mean, that first line of the prologue or first chapter have such a heavy expectation on them that I can see authors trying to reel in the readers with something wacky. But if it’s irrelevant, then leave it out.

I mean the first line of Pride & Prejudice is nothing special in itself, but at the same time it encapsulates the entire era and theme of the book.

If your readers are confused, that is likely more to do with the writing then the plot idea.

 

[Mad Swede]

My literature teacher always said that a prologue (in its modern meaning) is used to draw the reader in by throwing them straight into part of the story, as a way of making the reader ask who these people are and how they got to where they are now. He also said that using tension and intrigue in the prologue was a good way of drawing the reader in given that the prologue is supposed to be short.

My editor reckons that a good prologue should contain at least one character who appears in the first chapter, as a way of ensuring that once the reader is in the story they stay there.

For me 5-7 pages is too long for a prologue. I also wouldn't use a fight or battle scene as a prologue, although I might use a chase or some form of encounter as the basis for a prologue. Something which adds a little intrigue and piques the readers curiosity.

 

[Penpilot]

I'd suggest you read the prologue and first chapter to Game of Thrones. It does what you described. But it's structured like this for very specific reasons that are only obvious in hindsight.

 

[Finchbearer]

The aftermath of a battle scene would probably be more powerful than the battle scene itself upon mulling on this one.

 

[BearBear]

I have shown my draft to other people and started with an action prologue that showed an important battle in the world's history and introduced important characters who appear later. The feedback I got was that people were lost in the story, and the pace was jarring. Starting with a climax hurt the tension I wanted to build. Additionally, people were more invested in the prologue POV character than the actual main character. This could result from my inexperience as a writer and botching several other elements. What I do know is that I went and redid the opening chapter in my draft to focus more on the main character's daily life and added an action scene at the end and liked it a lot better, and so did the people who read it.

I just started my last book with an action scene, no other information, you don't even know which side to cheer for.

What's great is if readers don't like it then they can go fly a kite because this is the anti-novel of novels, the grimdark fantasy of torture, hell on Earth and death. I want the reader to be tortured as well.

It's a lovely coming of age story as well. You know, child abuse, bullies, serious injuries, maiming and death. The main character will be the biggest badass and she'll deserve every bit of it.

 

[Archon of Cringe]

So I have a new idea for the next draft. I want to start with the aftermath of a heist, showing Ness murdering a noble and setting up another heist. Then it cuts to them watching the news in their apartment later that day, where I can get out some character and exposition stuff (Ness's crimes, the sickness, their regret, etc), and ends with them snapping at a bird who they think is their mother's familiar. The rest of the chapter is a heist that goes horribly wrong, prompting the gods to give Ness the trials, and ends with an action scene as Ness defeats the opponents and manages to escape.

In terms of the purpose for my story, I like this because, while more action-packed, also shows the audience the impact Naseyah's actions have and their morally questionable actions. The story starts at the point where she starts to reconsider her actions, and the chapter ends with them on the start to redemption.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

Basic practice holds that you have 250 words to grab a reader's attention, and every 250 after that you earn. You want the reader asking questions and reading on for the answers. "What's this? What's this? There's conflict everywhere. What's this? What's this? Suddenly, I care." Get to this point, and you stand a much better chance of keeping their attention to The End.

 

[BearBear]

Basic practice holds that you have 250 words to grab a reader's attention, and every 250 after that you earn. You want the reader asking questions and reading on for the answers. "What's this? What's this? There's conflict everywhere. What's this? What's this? Suddenly, I care." Get to this point, and you stand a much better chance of keeping their attention to The End.

Nice advice, awesome

 

[CrystalD]

I wouldn't shove someone straight into a battle at the start of a book, we need at least a paragraph or two setting up the POV character, but if there is no connection to eiter the POV character of the main story, or it isn't the POV character in the prologue, I don't see the point of having action foractions sake. I'd say 2 to4 pages is good for a prologue, but persally I'd probably stick to 2 pages because it's really just there for some minor background, before we dive into the story. Also, while advice from other writers is good, I'd say always keep the centeral theme and goal of your story in the forefront of your mind and evealuate advice and critique against it. Do you see something they said inhancing your story? Or is it a side plot you weren't planning on using until later I've woven things into my story that I got from others, but still it was because it tied into my story in a way I hadn't thought of befre. If it hadn't, I wouldn't have used it, because it needs to also fit with the type of writer you want to be.