Prolouge or Chapter?

[love2write]

Some of you may have seen my other threads, but for those who have not I will explain what my story is about.

I am writing about a Hostage Rescue Squad team that are called to a situation in a school cafeteria. It goes through multiple points of view (2 of the officers, a student being held hostage, and the student's mother.)
It follows through how they work to find a solution to the situation, and the outcome. It also follows the team around afterward, showing how this case affected them. It also follows the student and her family.

So, getting to the question, in the beginning I have, what right now I call the prologue. It talks about some police officers (not on the Hostage Rescue Squad) investigating a robbery. It basically gives background on the man who takes the students hostage. I am not sure if it should be called the prolouge or just divided like a chapter, because it happens on the same day as almost everything else. What do you think?

 

[alleycat]

I would lean towards calling it chapter one (but it could be either way), but perhaps the bigger question is whether this part of the story is going to be enough to draw the reader in (are these exciting or intriguing details?). Is there any ways to start with the beginning of the school incident, then add these details as the officers on site learn who the hostage taker is? The officers who are investigating the robbery could arrive to talk to the officer in charge of the HRS. To me, that might be a better opening. Just some off-the-cuff ideas.

 

[love2write]

The thing is, I dont really say Chapter 1, Chapter 2.... I have them titled by whoever is narrating, so for example Lee Manson is the student, I would just have that as the title, right above where she begins to narrate.
Another thing is that The Prologue/chapter is about how he was a suspect in a bank robbery, and had been arrested before for robbing a house, and how there is now evidence suggesting his innocence... after that it goes to the HRS headquarters and talks about some of the officers before the situation starts...
I also dont think I could start with the school incident because I want the main focus to be the HRS team and how they act and work together and relate to each other, so I want the information in the headquarters in the story.
Thanks for the input.

 

[Diana W.]

Could you start with the police going to his house to arrest him? Follow them as they knock on the door and when there's no answer break the door down. Build the suspense as they search his place to find he's not there. Then establish that he's dangerous and capable of anything and must be caught at all costs. That would set up the whole novel. Just a suggestion.
As for as chapter or prologue I had planned for the opening of my novel to be a prologue but I realised that it could just as easily start as chapter one.

 

[love2write]

See the way the whole situation works out later in the story getting ready to have the situation in the cafeteria is that when the police went to talk to the man after finding this evidence, he fled and the police chased him. He then entered the school and took the students hostage, so I couldn't really speak about them entering his house because that isnt how they find him.

 

[Steam&Ink]

Many people here on AW have said that prologues are not very popular with agents and editors anymore, because a large proportion of readers will simply skip them.

At first I was shocked to hear this, because I always read them myself, but I do see it as a chore sometimes. So I can see why some less-buttoned-up readers might just say "forget it, I'm skipping to chapter one".

For that reason I would say: don't have a prologue unless you really can't not have a prologue. Excuse my double negative.

 

[cwfgal]

Some of you may have seen my other threads, but for those who have not I will explain what my story is about.

I am writing about a Hostage Rescue Squad team that are called to a situation in a school cafeteria. It goes through multiple points of view (2 of the officers, a student being held hostage, and the student's mother.)
It follows through how they work to find a solution to the situation, and the outcome. It also follows the team around afterward, showing how this case affected them. It also follows the student and her family.

So, getting to the question, in the beginning I have, what right now I call the prologue. It talks about some police officers (not on the Hostage Rescue Squad) investigating a robbery. It basically gives background on the man who takes the students hostage. I am not sure if it should be called the prolouge or just divided like a chapter, because it happens on the same day as almost everything else. What do you think?

I think a prologue should be labeled as such only if it's a significant departure from the rest of the story. For instance, my first pubbed novel had a prologue because the events that occurred in it happened eight years before the rest of the story, which happened over a period of a few days. Even so, I could have called it Chapter One and been just fine. I don't see any reason to label the chapter you are describing as a prologue and (though I think it's ridiculous) the presence of a prologue can raise red flags for some.

I also think you should reconsider the opening you are describing. You don't need to give the background on the hostage up front, nor do you need to show how the HRT acts and works together up front. You need some compelling action up front, not a lot of telling and explaining and scene setting. The facts about the bad guy, the relationship between the HRT members, how the HRT works together...all that can be revealed as the story progresses. Opening with a lot of backstory is a fatal mistake.

Beth (aka Annelise Ryan)

 

[love2write]

Thanks for the input. I will probably change it to a chapter, I just need to figure out who I will have narrating.