Prologues or Not?

catian · Feb 22, 2012

I often wonder about prologues and what their actual device is about.
I find them irritating because I open a book I am looking forward to reading,I find myself have going through 'a ritual' of few pages then I get to the prologue, and I am still thinking when do I get to start the book.
I do find it off putting so I sometimes cannot be bothered about reading it anymore.
I would understand it perhaps in a movie/film in that a prologue can serve as an adverstising tool to motivate the viewer to see the film.

My questions is:
How do you feel about the strcuture of any given book, including prologues?

Lillie · Feb 22, 2012

If I wanted to read a book, I'd read it from the beginning.
I can't understand anyone not doing that.

It reminds me of my bloke. He always switches off films about five minutes before the end.
I'm not sure why. I think it's some weird mental illness.

Sydneyd · Feb 23, 2012

You're gonna get those who love prologues, think they are useful in sharing information as well as peeking interest. You're also gonna get those who hate the word prologue and think the very sight of one indicates poor writing.

Boils down to this: Sommare good. Sommare bad.

catian · Feb 23, 2012

Lillie said:
If I wanted to read a book, I'd read it from the beginning.
I can't understand anyone not doing that.

It reminds me of my bloke. He always switches off films about five minutes before the end.
I'm not sure why. I think it's some weird mental illness.

The beginning you say..but what does beginning mean?
Oh I do that too, I switch off films middway, one second after they start, or just before the end, it is very random.
It is just sheer boredom, I can only sustain the best and so switching off is just saying the film is random.

RobJ · Feb 23, 2012

catian said:
I often wonder about prologues and what their actual device is about.
I find them irritating because I open a book I am looking forward to reading,I find myself have going through 'a ritual' of few pages then I get to the prologue, and I am still thinking when do I get to start the book.

When you start the prologue, you've started the book. The prologue is part of the book, put there deliberately by the author/publisher with the intention that the reader will get to the prologue first, then to whatever follows the prologue. Apparently, some people don't read them.

Lillie · Feb 23, 2012

catian said:
The beginning you say..but what does beginning mean?
Oh I do that too, I switch off films middway, one second after they start, or just before the end, it is very random.
It is just sheer boredom, I can only sustain the best and so switching off is just saying the film is random.

By beginning, I mean the beginning.
The place where the author started writing.
The start of the book.
The first sentence.

Why? What do you mean by beginning?
Do you have some idiosyncratic definition that's different from the norm?

catian · Feb 23, 2012

RobJ said:
When you start the prologue, you've started the book. The prologue is part of the book, put there deliberately by the author/publisher with the intention that the reader will get to the prologue first, then to whatever follows the prologue. Apparently, some people don't read them.

Yes some don't read them I do if and when they are there but it leaves baffled to why they are there.
My next question is this
the lack of consistancy in maintaining the prologues.
One writer (won't name and shame) would have one prologue in one story, and no prologue in his next one.
That I sure do not understand.
The point I am trying to make is that you are either have a prologue or not but to switch between the two, a yes here and no there, distract me and so I won't take up the author anymore.

Mr Flibble · Feb 23, 2012

A prologue is (or should be/the good ones tend to be) merely a scene that is separate from the main narrative by virtue of time or POV.

That doesn't make them not part of the story. They are just a different part of it. But hey, some people don;t read them. Don't get it myself (it may be a hangover from that time when a prologue was 'and this is what happened in the world before now'. I could understand that, but modern prologues tend not to be that)

Interestingly, I have recently been asked to consider adding a prologue...

catian · Feb 23, 2012

Lillie said:
By beginning, I mean the beginning.
The place where the author started writing.
The start of the book.
The first sentence.

Why? What do you mean by beginning?
Do you have some idiosyncratic definition that's different from the norm?

My definition of beginning is like this:
The first word of the story from the first page.
A prologue is usually the third page down/up.
Then I turn to the next/fourth page
Then I get a second/another beginning/ helping.
That is not my definition of beginning.
'I tend to begin with the first word on the first page'.
What is your definition of beginning?

Lillie · Feb 23, 2012

catian said:
My definition of beginning is like this:
The first word of the story from the first page.
A prologue is usually the third page down/up.
I read on.
Then I flick the next/fourth page
Then I have a second helping.
That is not my definition of beginning.
'I begin with the first word'.
What is your definition of beginning?

First of all, hardly anything you have said makes sense.
Second, I have already defined 'beginning', or you can look it up in a dictionary.

If you are just going to take the piss by asking me the same question over and over again, I can't be bothered with this conversation.

Mr Flibble · Feb 23, 2012

The prologue is the third page of the story????

Not in any book I've read. Unless you count the about the author page and the copyright material, maybe acknowledgements. But those aren't part of the story. The prologue is (or should be).

And just because a writer has a prologue that fits in one book, what says that it will work in the next? Sometimes a story requires it. Sometimes it doesn't. You don't bung one in because 'my last book had one'. Or you shouldn't.

Sydneyd · Feb 23, 2012

I think the OP means the "Thanks" pages or "Acknowledgement" pages...which aren't the beginning of the story. Maybe not...perhaps I shouldn't put words in the OP's fingers.

Dr.Gonzo · Feb 23, 2012

It's part of the book. I read it. Some books I don't like. Some of them have prologues.

catian · Feb 23, 2012

Sydneyd said:
I think the OP means the "Thanks" pages or "Acknowledgement" pages...which aren't the beginning of the story. Maybe not...perhaps I shouldn't put words in the OP's fingers.

Hi Sydneyd that is right.
I have to turn few pages before I get to read the story.
A book I have the prologue is on the fifth page then the sixth page is the second beginning of the story.
It is a lot of pages to turn for me anyway

Mr Flibble · Feb 23, 2012

Um, but...the first word of the story, you said. Not the bit where the author says 'Thanks Mum!'. The story.

If there is a prologue, that is where the story starts. Just once.

Man I'm confused now....it's too hard to flip past the dedication? This means prologues are bad?

I may need to lay down.

catian · Feb 23, 2012

IdiotsRUs said:
Um, but...the first word of the story, you said. Not the bit where the author says 'Thanks Mum!'. The story.

If there is a prologue, that is where the story starts. Just once.

Man I'm confused now....it's too hard to flip past the dedication? This means prologues are bad?

I may need to lay down.

lol
Don't be confused it is just me.

I think it just feels to me like another beginning.
This is the impression it leaves me with and so I question its reasons for being.

Mr Flibble · Feb 23, 2012

Okay

Well just think of it as another chapter. Pretend it says 'chapter one' at the top.

A good prologue (they aren't all good) is part of the story, just separated. You know how sometimes you get a time jump or POV switch at the end of a chapter? It's just like that. Does that also feel like the story is starting again? Or is it just because it's called 'prologue'? <--honest question. Sometimes our preconceptions can hamstring us (mine slice my tendons to bits

)

seun · Feb 23, 2012

AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

That is all.

Torgo · Feb 23, 2012

Prologues. I can't believe I'm still in prologues.

dpaterso · Feb 23, 2012

The first page of my novel says, "Read my Prologue or hy weel keel hyu!" No dedication, just the threat.

The Prologue exists because I had found myself referring to a significant past event in the story, but realized that instead of talking about it over and over, I ought to be showing it. Since it it happened 'way before the novel opens, I re-wrote it as a Prologue -- a teaser, if you will, that sets up time and place and events in a more dramatic fashion than the "talking about it" approach did. And so you will read my Prologue. Or hy weel keel hyu!

-Derek

catian · Feb 23, 2012

Torgo said:
Prologues. I can't believe I'm still in prologues.

what you mean you skipped it???......or not!!!

Torgo · Feb 23, 2012

catian said:
what you mean you skipped it???......or not!!!

Heh, no, I'm doing Martin Sheen in Apocalypse Now. This is a conversation I was having here back in 2005.

I still don't understand people who skip prologues. Skip an 'Introduction' or a 'Foreword' or an 'Author's note', perhaps - they're not intended to be part of the story. Prologues are intended to be part of the story, so why you would skip them, I have no idea.

Would you skip an epilogue?

catian · Feb 23, 2012

IdiotsRUs said:
Okay

Well just think of it as another chapter. Pretend it says 'chapter one' at the top.

A good prologue (they aren't all good) is part of the story, just separated. You know how sometimes you get a time jump or POV switch at the end of a chapter? It's just like that. Does that also feel like the story is starting again? Or is it just because it's called 'prologue'? <--honest question.

Yes and no.
I find it irritating because firstly I never know wether I am going to get one or not.
secondly it ruins the flow of the story for me.
I tend to compare it to driving a car.
If I cannot drive in reverse normally, like I do in forward, then I cannot do it in stories.
I compare it to a hurddle. Haha. :tongue

I know it is terrible but this is the effect it has on me.

catian · Feb 23, 2012

Torgo said:
Heh, no, I'm doing Martin Sheen in Apocalypse Now. This is a conversation I was having here back in 2005.

I still don't understand people who skip prologues. Skip an 'Introduction' or a 'Foreword' or an 'Author's note', perhaps - they're not intended to be part of the story. Prologues are intended to be part of the story, so why you would skip them, I have no idea.

Would you skip an epilogue?

Well for example if yout ake Terry Pratchett
The Colour of Magic
It stops at a page then says
The End.
Then on the same page it goes one for another three pages then says
The End again.
This kind of details with epilogue can make sense because it says to me that the writer is hesitant in which way to end or stop a story. It is understandable.

The Prologue however says to me that there are two different beginnings.
Now in reality we all begin the ONE way, there is no other way to it.
The ending however is the exception to the rule because we control how we end us/our lives.
I mean we have various options we can chose from as opposed to when you are made/born. We do not chose who we are/our parents/how we are born/ but we can chose who we could be later on.

If there is a prologue then this says to me that you are writing two stories.
This is just my interpretation and so instead of putting a prologue just write another one using that prologue but just don't put it there.
That is how I view it.
Of course you are to see it differently and that is fine too.

Torgo · Feb 23, 2012

catian said:
Now in reality we all begin the ONE way, there is no other way to it.
The ending however is the exception to the rule because we control how we end us/our lives.
I mean we have various options we can chose from as opposed to when you are made/born. We do not chose who we are/our parents/how we are born/ but we can chose who we could be later on.

That is an interesting point of view. I am not really sure it applies to fiction, but I see where you are coming from.

Prologues or Not?

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