tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3897178701274249737.post5902717846790070752..comments2023-08-02T21:10:21.457-04:00Comments on Strands of Pattern: ProloguesJeff Hargetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14198367021884647821noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3897178701274249737.post-16871707997448066112012-05-28T13:39:34.800-04:002012-05-28T13:39:34.800-04:00All very good insights, Lauren. And I love it whe...All very good insights, Lauren. And I love it when a prologue ties into the ending. It just makes it seem "right" somehow.Jeff Hargetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14198367021884647821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3897178701274249737.post-39617787423271210792012-05-28T10:42:26.336-04:002012-05-28T10:42:26.336-04:00I do read them if they're there, but I usually...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.<br /><br />If the information can be conveyed in chapter 1 it should be. <br /><br />It should be long enough to get the information across without being a data dump<br /><br />It should not be an attempt to explain why the author wrote the book<br /><br />It should not be an attempt to restart the story because the author started it in the wrong place<br /><br />LaurenLaurenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04137538450232783883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3897178701274249737.post-33550284257796572992012-05-26T11:39:47.306-04:002012-05-26T11:39:47.306-04:00Hey, I'm always game to follow a good blog! A...Hey, I'm always game to follow a good blog! And welcome!<br /><br />Seeing as how I wrote a prologue for my epic fantasy, I'm encouraged to find that most people do tend to read them. :)Jeff Hargetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14198367021884647821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3897178701274249737.post-62942888968362426202012-05-26T07:42:44.270-04:002012-05-26T07:42:44.270-04:00Hi Jeff, thanks for the follow - I'm returning...Hi Jeff, thanks for the follow - I'm returning the favour!<br /><br />If a prologue exists, I'll always read it - the author put it there for a reason.<br /><br />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.Annalisa Crawfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14943610814274794998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3897178701274249737.post-4241810277649048782012-05-25T16:32:51.120-04:002012-05-25T16:32:51.120-04:00Welcome, Jessica! The prologue's length appea...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.Jeff Hargetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14198367021884647821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3897178701274249737.post-50291877237203996062012-05-25T14:22:07.480-04:002012-05-25T14:22:07.480-04:00I always read prologues. I enjoy them more when th...I always read prologues. I enjoy them more when they are short, to the point and add value to the story.Jessica Salyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00227752359369023249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3897178701274249737.post-56583322578241797882012-05-25T08:18:32.766-04:002012-05-25T08:18:32.766-04:00I agree Sharon. I'm not sure why this isn'...I agree Sharon. I'm not sure why this isn't the prevailing opinion across the board.Jeff Hargetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14198367021884647821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3897178701274249737.post-73493748292464484022012-05-24T23:14:17.437-04:002012-05-24T23:14:17.437-04:00I think people get way too upset about prologues. ...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.Sharon Baylisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17361550815860670756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3897178701274249737.post-3669042901481866472012-05-24T19:11:51.208-04:002012-05-24T19:11:51.208-04:00Charlie, you know that 70 pages *is* short for Rob...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.<br /><br />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.Jeff Hargetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14198367021884647821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3897178701274249737.post-47506874875794321982012-05-24T15:49:45.361-04:002012-05-24T15:49:45.361-04:00If prologues have a point to the story and are not...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...<br /><br />I think prologues can be useful, but they should be short.Charlie N. Holmberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13546802577363686054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3897178701274249737.post-79271802122345771902012-05-24T08:00:22.524-04:002012-05-24T08:00:22.524-04:00Welcome, Leslie! Specific enough that most people...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.Jeff Hargetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14198367021884647821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3897178701274249737.post-41098741634912867932012-05-24T00:44:30.305-04:002012-05-24T00:44:30.305-04:00I always read the prologue but I don't always ...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? :)Leslie https://www.blogger.com/profile/17430815366297302202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3897178701274249737.post-50743663287912431422012-05-23T20:41:09.813-04:002012-05-23T20:41:09.813-04:00Ah, a balanced perspective, so middle-of-the-road,...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.Jeff Hargetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14198367021884647821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3897178701274249737.post-60149990896346662802012-05-23T20:38:19.826-04:002012-05-23T20:38:19.826-04:00So well said! I think it's easy for us writer...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.Jeff Hargetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14198367021884647821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3897178701274249737.post-62734779334284676592012-05-23T20:35:43.736-04:002012-05-23T20:35:43.736-04:00Welcome, KJ!
Regarding length, I think if the pro...Welcome, KJ!<br /><br />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.Jeff Hargetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14198367021884647821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3897178701274249737.post-7930944414630886102012-05-23T20:33:16.831-04:002012-05-23T20:33:16.831-04:00You're so very correct. If there's no val...You're so very correct. If there's no valid reason to have a prologue then the prologue shouldn't exist.Jeff Hargetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14198367021884647821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3897178701274249737.post-688426467545823492012-05-23T20:31:25.270-04:002012-05-23T20:31:25.270-04:00Even when they're called for they still need t...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.Jeff Hargetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14198367021884647821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3897178701274249737.post-77271962979439169732012-05-23T20:29:34.348-04:002012-05-23T20:29:34.348-04:00I've found that prologue length doesn't re...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. :)Jeff Hargetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14198367021884647821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3897178701274249737.post-38749050460531187762012-05-23T15:38:06.655-04:002012-05-23T15:38:06.655-04:00I'm neither for nor against. If it's there...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.writing and living by Richard P Hugheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03814139767151989286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3897178701274249737.post-45512550740336528972012-05-23T13:43:17.239-04:002012-05-23T13:43:17.239-04:00Excellent post. I agree completely. I don't ...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?<br /><br />There are definitely times when a prologue is needed, but prologues, like everything else in this writing thing, need to be right. :)MaryAnn Popehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08618345950149423623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3897178701274249737.post-81614057975767712042012-05-23T11:53:48.216-04:002012-05-23T11:53:48.216-04:00I agree with your post here. The prologue should s...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.<br /><br />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! <br /><br />http://kjwatersauthor.blogspot.com/2012/05/blondie-in-hurricane-blondies-first.htmlKJ Watershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08535058480118443455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3897178701274249737.post-62139254445766756732012-05-23T11:08:12.513-04:002012-05-23T11:08:12.513-04:00Yeah, I don't get what the fuss is about. Some...Yeah, I don't get what the fuss is about. Some stories benefit from a prologue, some don't.Adam Gaylordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10776176053095754224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3897178701274249737.post-51921843724988666892012-05-23T07:12:39.329-04:002012-05-23T07:12:39.329-04:00Totally agree. Some stories need prologues, some ...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.S.P. Bowershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09746614009206426805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3897178701274249737.post-63921800080596947302012-05-23T00:54:58.319-04:002012-05-23T00:54:58.319-04:00I definitely agree that there is a time and a plac...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.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05746017057593508370noreply@blogger.com