I wrote a prologue for my novel, but it only ended up being 422 words. I know that too long prologues are a no-no, but what about short prologues?
Thanks in advance!
Thanks in advance!
Looking at the thread for suggestions because in the 27 years I've been writing, I have never written a prologue. I guess I just don't understand how they work.
Looking at the thread for suggestions because in the 27 years I've been writing, I have never written a prologue. I guess I just don't understand how they work.
If I understand correctly, the way it works is: if you have something you need to say or show, that the reader really needs, but that you can't possibly say or show in Chapter 1 or 2 (maybe because it can't be shown in the POV you're using, maybe because it happens super long ago or faraway and, again, you can't just have your POV character hear about it for some reason) that's when you write a prologue. But you make it as snappy as you can, b/c it's not the actual story, and what the reader wants is the actual story.
I can't say as I agree with your phrasing, but as a prologue writer, I wouldn't, would I?
I tend to take a lot of narrative inspiration from movies, so my prologues tend to be like film prologues: teaser scenes with a relationship to the main narrative that isn't revealed until later in the story. They're sort of pre-inciting incidents. You don't need to know them for Chapter 1 or Chapter 2; their significance is revealed much further along. (I always write mystery, one way or another, so that's part of it, too.)
They are, in fact, part of the "actual story," although the reader might not understand how until later in the book. I can't take them out. It's a bit like Jenga: the whole thing would fall apart without them.
If I understand correctly, the way it works is: if you have something you need to say or show, that the reader really needs, but that you can't possibly say or show in Chapter 1 or 2 (maybe because it can't be shown in the POV you're using, maybe because it happens super long ago or faraway and, again, you can't just have your POV character hear about it for some reason) that's when you write a prologue. But you make it as snappy as you can, b/c it's not the actual story, and what the reader wants is the actual story.
If your teaser scenes are intriguing enough I'm sure they obviate the potential issues, but the danger (especially for the inexperienced author) is that the reader will 1) see that there isn't a hook in the prologue and get too bored to continue or 2) see that there is a hook in the prologue and get frustrated that it's not followed up and now in Chapter 1 they have to start over with a new hook.