Prologues: Yay or nay?

Kiteya · Jan 14, 2019

So normally prologues are a bad idea. That was the rule I heard for years. But recently, I read a book where there was a prologue included, and it made a lot of sense for this book. In the book, a character is getting revenge for a traumatic event that happened in her childhood. The prologue tells that event as a scene. It's a wonderful use of a prologue, and it made the protagonist's motive a lot clearer, as well as doing some great world building.

What are some instances of great prologues you've seen? Have you ever used one? And when do you think it's ok to use a prologue?

Thanks so much!

starrystorm · Jan 14, 2019

There aren't that many books I've read that have had a prologue. But in my current WIP, chapter 1 happens two months before chapter 2. I hesitate to call this a prologue because to me it doesn't seem like that big of a gap but more like a time change. The plot is still continuing, the problems are still the same, and it's the same characters as before.

As for prologues, I think someone is taking a large leap when the characters are different/dead by the time the story picks up. I get attached to those characters in the prologue and now they're gone. I knew someone who wrote a prologue and all her beta readers wanted to know when the people in the prologue where going to show back up. She had to tell them they died thousands of years ago.

I think it's best to use a prologue when, as you said, it takes place in the close past and is from the same point of view. I have read prologues that were done from a parent's POV if something traumatic happened when the MC was still a baby.

I've also heard that some people don't read the prologue. I think I skipped it the first time I read one because I wasn't sure what it was. I think it would be easier just to label it "Chapter 1" and get rid of the term prologue altogether. But I know that's never going to happen.

AW Admin · Jan 14, 2019

Kiteya said:
So normally prologues are a bad idea. That was the rule I heard for years. But recently, I read a book where there was a prologue included, and it made a lot of sense for this book. In the book, a character is getting revenge for a traumatic event that happened in her childhood. The prologue tells that event as a scene. It's a wonderful use of a prologue, and it made the protagonist's motive a lot clearer, as well as doing some great world building.

What are some instances of great prologues you've seen? Have you ever used one? And when do you think it's ok to use a prologue?

Thanks so much!

You might want to stop here and read the BWQ FAQ on Prologues.

screenscope · Jan 14, 2019

A good prologue is the reading equivalent of pouring a glass of wine and settling into a comfortable chair. A perfect way to ease yourself into a story.

I'm not sure why they have such a bad name among writers. I don't think readers care either way.

lizmonster · Jan 14, 2019

Kiteya said:
So normally prologues are a bad idea. That was the rule I heard for years.

I firmly believe that this "rule" propagates because starting a book with an infodump is a common rookie mistake. Infodumps are almost always problematic, no matter where you put them.

I love a good prologue. All three of the books in my sig have prologues, and I'm quite fond of them.

jjdebenedictis · Jan 14, 2019

There are no rules in writing, just guidelines and useful exercises.

One of my favourite books as a teen, The Last Wizard by Tanya Huff, was basically 1/3 prologue -- or perhaps it'd be better characterize it as a short novella prequel attached to a longer novella. Either way, the fact it broke the rules didn't stop me adoring it and re-reading it multiple times.

If it works, it works. If it doesn't, people will tell you it broke the rules when the truth is it just didn't work.

Brightdreamer · Jan 14, 2019

screenscope said:
A good prologue is the reading equivalent of pouring a glass of wine and settling into a comfortable chair. A perfect way to ease yourself into a story.

I'm not sure why they have such a bad name among writers. I don't think readers care either way.

Actually, some readers care very much: there are those who skip prologues altogether.

And they got a bad name because, especially a few decades ago, "prologue" was another word for "infodump." Not all of them, of course, but enough that people got tired of slogging through them, as authors and publishers overestimated how much information needed to be frontloaded. So prologues are still looked at askance, by agents and by readers. Styles have changed, and so have reader expectations; these days, you'd be unlikely to sell a SF with a telly/explainy opening as the one that preceded the Pern books*, just as you'd be unlikely to get away with a Tolkienian, hip-deep dollop of worldbuilding before even getting to the characters and conflict. Today, readers expect to learn about your world as the story unfolds; they don't need or necessarily want it explained to them up front, nor do they necessarily need/want to start following a throwaway character/scene and becoming invested only for them to vanish as you hit Chapter One and the real story begins. (If it's that important, it's probably Chapter One anyway.)

That's not to say they're automatic poison, of course. Some prologues work, some don't. Use one if it works, don't if it doesn't... and if in doubt, then you probably don't need it. (Do not underestimate your readers, or overestimate how much you need to explain to them.)

(* - Proof that prologue skipping isn't new: despite the Pern openers explicitly stating that the humans were offworld colonists who engineered the dragons from native life forms, many just saw dragons and thought "fantasy." McCaffrey was very vocal about them being SF.)

screenscope · Jan 14, 2019

Brightdreamer said:
Actually, some readers care very much: there are those who skip prologues altogether.

And they got a bad name because, especially a few decades ago, "prologue" was another word for "infodump." Not all of them, of course, but enough that people got tired of slogging through them, as authors and publishers overestimated how much information needed to be frontloaded. So prologues are still looked at askance, by agents and by readers. Styles have changed, and so have reader expectations; these days, you'd be unlikely to sell a SF with a telly/explainy opening as the one that preceded the Pern books*, just as you'd be unlikely to get away with a Tolkienian, hip-deep dollop of worldbuilding before even getting to the characters and conflict. Today, readers expect to learn about your world as the story unfolds; they don't need or necessarily want it explained to them up front, nor do they necessarily need/want to start following a throwaway character/scene and becoming invested only for them to vanish as you hit Chapter One and the real story begins. (If it's that important, it's probably Chapter One anyway.)

That's not to say they're automatic poison, of course. Some prologues work, some don't. Use one if it works, don't if it doesn't... and if in doubt, then you probably don't need it. (Do not underestimate your readers, or overestimate how much you need to explain to them.)

(* - Proof that prologue skipping isn't new: despite the Pern openers explicitly stating that the humans were offworld colonists who engineered the dragons from native life forms, many just saw dragons and thought "fantasy." McCaffrey was very vocal about them being SF.)

I don't disagree with any of your comments. I just don't agree with the often repeated refrain (and assumption) that prologues are bad. And it really does make my mind boggle that some readers would actually choose to read a book, yet skip the prologue!

Prologues are neither bad or good. Their effectiveness is simply a question of necessity and execution.

rwm4768 · Jan 14, 2019

If it's an interesting prologue, that's fine. However, you should know that some readers will automatically skip the prologue, so you should write your story so that it still makes sense without the prologue.

In epic fantasy, it became a trend for authors to dump their world's history in the prologue, and this put off a lot of readers. So please don't do that kind of thing.

ByTXP · Jan 14, 2019

As a reader, I don't mind a good prologue, especially if it sets up a tantalizing mystery that we'll come back to later. As a writer, I think it depends on the book. In my first book, I decided the bit that could have been a prologue was so critical to the rest of the story that I just made it chapter one instead. In my second book, I initially thought of the prologue as the first chapter, but the subsequent 20-year time jump felt like too much weight to put on a chapter break.

Earthling · Jan 15, 2019

Nay. I've never read a book with a prologue that I didn't think would be better, or just as good, without it. And I hate getting all invested in the events and then having to start all over again in Chapter 1.

MoonTheLune · Jan 15, 2019

I use a tonne of flashbacks to inform existing character dynamics, and I'm the type of person to throw readers into the middle of the story because I think it's more exciting that way. In my current novel, I have a (very brief! ~500 word) prologue which is a flashback to establish "this is the way things have been for our main character for a long long time", because the point of my novel is to change the situation introduced in the prologue. And the point of the prologue is to establish the situation and imply change is imminent.

I think as long as the prologue isn't too long, like others have said - if you are using characters not in the book don't let it go on long enough for us to get attached to them. And as long as the prologue serves a very clear purpose, then it's probably fine. But like everything, we can't know if we've made the right choice until we get reader feedback.

Maryn · Jan 15, 2019

I made myself some guidelines for whether my own writing could or should have a prologue, knowing some readers won't ever read it. Cobbled together from advice here at AW and elsewhere, these are my own "rules":

The prologue takes place well before the main story or far away from the setting of the rest of the story. Example: The king buries his beloved daughter with a charm which brings harm to anyone who disturbs her grave.
The prologue is from the point of view of a character the reader will not meet again. Example: The killer stalks, kills, and disposes of the body of his victim, then goes about his usual business.
The prologue's events set the story in motion only upon discovery at another time or place. Example: A tablet explaining time travel is buried deep in the sea, waiting for a time when science and engineering advances both allow its retrieval and suggest mankind is ready for this.
The prologue is really the ending, making the rest of the novel a flashback which is crafted in such a way that knowing the ending not only doesn't spoil the story but gives it a depth the reader can appreciate only because she knows how it plays out. Example: A distraught mother visits her adult son's grave. Later, the book reveals she killed him before he could assassinate the only world leader able to stop a nuclear war
The prologue is vital to the story but in a way that is not apparent right away. Example: The little girl next store plays all by herself with whatever she can find in the yard. Only later does the reader learn she's a ghost few people can see.

It's absolutely vital that the prologue be both short and powerful--and that the first chapter that immediately follows it also has a strong hook to keep the reader going, because that's where some readers will begin.

There's nothing rigid about these rules for every writer or every work, but they certainly serve me well.

Maryn, who rarely uses prologues

lizmonster · Jan 15, 2019

rwm4768 said:
If it's an interesting prologue, that's fine. However, you should know that some readers will automatically skip the prologue, so you should write your story so that it still makes sense without the prologue.

If the story makes sense without the prologue - or any other chapter - that bit should be cut.

rmw4768 said:
In epic fantasy, it became a trend for authors to dump their world's history in the prologue, and this put off a lot of readers. So please don't do that kind of thing.

It's been a long time since this has been typical of published epic fantasy. I'll repeat: infodumps are a mistake 99% of the time, no matter where you put them.

lizmonster · Jan 15, 2019

Maryn said:
It's absolutely vital that the prologue be both short

<checks word count on prologue of Book 2>

<sees 3,204>

<slinks quietly from room>

I do blow some stuff up tho.

AW Admin · Jan 15, 2019

Please please please read the FAQ on Prologues.

I'm getting reported posts because there are So Many Threads about this question.

L.C. Blackwell · Jan 15, 2019

As Admin says, this is a very frequent topic. Though possibly, it keeps popping up because most of us have a firm opinion on the subject, one way or the other.

As an aside, however, do we really need to take up her time reporting this? I personally don't see a need or reason to report posts unless they are harassing, disrespectful, etc. I suggest that if a topic seems overly familiar, there's no harm in skipping that thread and just not reading any more of it.

That said, my own feeling on prologues is summed up in this:

I hate getting all invested in the events and then having to start all over again in Chapter 1.

This is called bait-and-switch. I am not fond of it myself. I suggest that if you mean to use any form of prologue which will leave the reader with this feeling, you work extra hard to create some sort of transition that will allow him or her to adjust and move seamlessly forward. Don't bring things to a jerking halt, just when you've got momentum going.

*upon which, she gets down from her soap box*

P.S. Lisa, do you want us to actually stop posting in this thread, or just read some of the others first? Because I'm a tad confused here.

Harlequin · Jan 22, 2019

Prologues are like wake up openings: a huge proportion of them are done wrong, and/or for the wrong reason. I tend to think that if you can avoid it, you're better doing so. All that said and done, I had a prologue for MS2. It was 400 words, and very unusual, but totally in character for the voice and overall story. I did call it chapter 0... but also sent along chapters 0-3 for any agent who asked for first three chapters.

halion · Jan 31, 2019

I wonder why there is a dislike for prologues.

Layla Nahar · Jan 31, 2019

Nay.

(You asked)

MindfulInquirer · Jan 31, 2019

Interesting. I'd say 'nay'. In the daily life I tend to introduce an idea with prefaces as I speak, giving it context and everything, which I've noticed doesn't help people so much as it confuses them. Too many words. I think generally the straighter you get to the point, the better. People have a shorter attention span than ever, because technology, and the quicker you get them to appreciate what you have to offer, the better I think. It's only going to cater to a very select group of people who like to sit down and take all their sweet time to go through all the details etc.

screenscope · Jan 31, 2019

halion said:
I wonder why there is a dislike for prologues.

I think it's because bad ones stand out and good ones go unnoticed, and because writers worry about this sort of stuff far more than readers.

Earthling · Feb 1, 2019

screenscope said:
I think it's because bad ones stand out and good ones go unnoticed, and because writers worry about this sort of stuff far more than readers.

A lot of readers skip prologues. That's one of the reasons writers worry about them.

screenscope · Feb 1, 2019

Earthling said:
A lot of readers skip prologues. That's one of the reasons writers worry about them.

A lot of readers don't skip prologues. That's one of the reasons writers shouldn't worry about them.

There are plenty of genuine worries for writers, so fretting about prologues really isn't worth the effort.

Earthling · Feb 1, 2019

screenscope said:
A lot of readers don't skip prologues. That's one of the reasons writers shouldn't worry about them.

There are plenty of genuine worries for writers, so fretting about prologues really isn't worth the effort.

Whether to do something that significant numbers of readers don't like is certainly a genuine worry for a writer in my view.

Prologues: Yay or nay?

Kiteya

starrystorm

AW Admin

screenscope

lizmonster

Possibly A Mermaid Queen

jjdebenedictis

is watching you via her avatar

Brightdreamer

Just Another Lazy Perfectionist

screenscope

rwm4768

practical experience, FTW

ByTXP

Strange Visitor

Earthling

I come in peace

MoonTheLune

Maryn

At Sea

lizmonster

Possibly A Mermaid Queen

lizmonster

Possibly A Mermaid Queen

AW Admin

L.C. Blackwell

Keeper of Fort Blanket

Harlequin

Eat books, not brains!

halion

Layla Nahar

Seashell Seller

MindfulInquirer

screenscope

Earthling

I come in peace

screenscope

Earthling

I come in peace