Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Prologues

Prologue: the word might as well be "election" or "religion" for all the controversy it raises.

I've read almost every article I've encountered that even contains the word.  I'm continually amazed at not only the extremes of opinions it generates, but also the intensity of those opinions.  Seeing as how you'll not see me take stances on politics or religion in this blog, I'll just divulge my opinion on prologues.  Maybe it'll be less divisive.

Short answer to the question of whether or not I like prologues is...it depends.


You see, I read a prologue differently than I read a chapter one.  I'm not sure that everyone does. 

We step back from reality when we read a work of fiction.  We suspend our disbelief and temporarily accept everything an author tells us.  When I read a prologue, I step back even further.  I step back from the story itself.  I consider that what I'm reading has been set apart from the actual story for a reason.

Some reasons make sense.  A good example would be instances where I'll never again see a prologue's characters (alive) in the rest of the book.  Another good example might be that it takes place many years before chapter one begins.  There are, of course, many other valid reasons as well.

I expect a little world building, a little setting to be laid out for me, but most of all, I take a prologue as a promise.  The prologue should promise me things like the story's scope, the depth of the plot(s) I can expect, the style of writing, a foretaste of imagery to follow, an inkling of theme(s) and many other things.

Some genres lend themselves to prologues; others don't.  I almost expect to see a prologue in an epic fantasy--especially a series, but would be surprised to find one at the beginning of a romance, for example.  (Granted, I've not read much in the way of romance.)


Personally, I don't want a "chapter one" that's called a prologue.  I also don't want a prologue that's called "chapter one" either.  The prologue's contents, in my opinion, should be my pre-launch, my orientation.  And it should entice me to continue.  That's part of the "promise" I referred to earlier.

I think many frown upon prologues because they're often boring, have nothing to do with the actual story or are thinly-veiled info-dumps.  Frequently, the info can be omitted or presented just as effectively within the chapters.  But I believe there are times a prologue is warranted.  And when done well they can be wonderful.

Like anything else contained within the book, the prologue should serve a purpose.  That purpose should engage, entertain, promise, foreshadow, lay a foundation, set the stage, etc.

As for those who refuse to read a prologue simply because it's called a prologue, well, I consider it their loss.  I'm somewhat of a cheapskate.  If I spend money on a book, I'm going to read the whole book.  Leaving sections unread is like not finishing my plate at a restaurant or skipping an appetizer even though I spent good money for it.


What about you?  Weigh in!

24 comments:

  1. I definitely agree that there is a time and a place for prologues. Especially when there's an important scene to show that s set at a different time to the story. However my opinion on prologues is that they should be kept fairly short. But that could be personal preference.

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    1. I've found that prologue length doesn't really matter to me as long as it's not noticeably longer than the book's chapters--providing it's a good read. :)

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  2. Totally agree. Some stories need prologues, some don't, and when they're done incorrectly they are rather annoying. I'm guessing that's why many people don't like/read them. They've just seen to many bad ones.

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    1. Even when they're called for they still need to be done correctly. I suppose that's the art of it. Kinda like the rest of the book.

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  3. Yeah, I don't get what the fuss is about. Some stories benefit from a prologue, some don't.

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    1. You're so very correct. If there's no valid reason to have a prologue then the prologue shouldn't exist.

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  4. I agree with your post here. The prologue should set the mood for the book, perhaps provide a snapshot of the writing style, the theme of the book. I also want to add that it should be relatively short to not make the reader inpatient to get to the meat of the story.

    Also want to thank you for following my blog. I can see how you found it if you've read everything on prologues and that particular blog introduces the prologue to my novel Stealing Time. Nice to know too that you approve of my use of it, or I think you do since I've met some of your criteria and you took the time to follow me! Looking forward to your novels and good to connect with you!

    http://kjwatersauthor.blogspot.com/2012/05/blondie-in-hurricane-blondies-first.html

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    1. Welcome, KJ!

      Regarding length, I think if the prologue is warranted and done (very) well, then the reader shouldn't even notice the length. Just like our prose shouldn't take the reader's attention away from the story.

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  5. Excellent post. I agree completely. I don't understand why people skip prologues. How do you know the prologue isn't important to the story unless you read it?

    There are definitely times when a prologue is needed, but prologues, like everything else in this writing thing, need to be right. :)

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    1. So well said! I think it's easy for us writers to include a prologue that leaves the reader feeling it isn't important, thereby making them feel cheated or duped by it.

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  6. I'm neither for nor against. If it's there, I read it. If it doesn't work for me, I don't read any further. If it does, I continue on.

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    1. Ah, a balanced perspective, so middle-of-the-road, Richard. :) But you're quite right. I'd take it a step further and say that we probably should handle our prologues with even more care than our first chapters.

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  7. I always read the prologue but I don't always enjoy it. I think many books really need one depending in the story but I have read many that have one that seems like a waste of space. How's that for specific? :)

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    1. Welcome, Leslie! Specific enough that most people would know that they agree with you. Based on the feedback here, it would seem that if the prologue is there, most people do read it despite the fact that many agents (based on what I've read) don't care for them.

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  8. If prologues have a point to the story and are not just a "Chapter 1" with a different name, I like them. Most prologues are done fairly well, I think. Though Robert Jordan in Wheel of Time 5 or 6 had a 70 pages prologue that really was just a very, VERY long chapter 1. That was annoying...

    I think prologues can be useful, but they should be short.

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    1. Charlie, you know that 70 pages *is* short for Robert Jordan! :) Brevity was never his strong suit. Telling good tales and painting majestic scenes in my mind were, however.

      Sounds like we're in agreement about what should be called a prologue and what should be called a chapter though. But length in and of itself isn't necessarily a turn-off for me. To me, it should be as long as required: no longer, no shorter.

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  9. I think people get way too upset about prologues. If they're written well, they're fine. I care not if the book has a prologue, as long as I am engaged in the story.

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    1. I agree Sharon. I'm not sure why this isn't the prevailing opinion across the board.

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  10. I always read prologues. I enjoy them more when they are short, to the point and add value to the story.

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    1. Welcome, Jessica! The prologue's length appears to be a recurring mention in these comments. Perhaps I should have asked "how long is too long?" instead.

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  11. Hi Jeff, thanks for the follow - I'm returning the favour!

    If a prologue exists, I'll always read it - the author put it there for a reason.

    Personally, I wouldn't WRITE one, I prefer to jump straight in to a story when I'm writing, and the backstory comes out within my story.

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    1. Hey, I'm always game to follow a good blog! And welcome!

      Seeing as how I wrote a prologue for my epic fantasy, I'm encouraged to find that most people do tend to read them. :)

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  12. I do read them if they're there, but I usually find that most of the information provided is (or should be) in the main story. I did write a proglogue on Undersea because you need that snippet of back-story to make sense of the rest. Of course, it won't make sense until the very end...Then I suppose that I used a chapter-prologue format in Demontaint.

    If the information can be conveyed in chapter 1 it should be.

    It should be long enough to get the information across without being a data dump

    It should not be an attempt to explain why the author wrote the book

    It should not be an attempt to restart the story because the author started it in the wrong place

    Lauren

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    1. All very good insights, Lauren. And I love it when a prologue ties into the ending. It just makes it seem "right" somehow.

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