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I think she waited to make her announcement when she knew she was out of time. Tying up the loose ends and such. I’m glad she got that chance to do so.
KCWise wrote:All of these perspectives are so interesting. I had no idea that prologues were so controversial! I feel like I see them all the time and I’ve always read every one that I’ve encountered! (I’m such a conformist….)I think I’ll write the one that I have and then decide if it’s appropriate during the editing process. Lord knows, if I have 99 problems, the prologue ain’t a one…but I’m still interested in the various views.
Does this mean that people hate epilogues, too?
Epilogues are a slightly different beast. Often, it’s a look at the characters’ lives later, after the book ends. By the end of the book, I’m invested in the characters and I want that glimpse into their lives. It’s kinda like checking in with a friend. Interestingly enough, the book I just wrote my prologue for also has a epilogue.
I’m sure there are people irritated by epilogues, but at that point, it’s easier to just put the book down, because you’re at the end, as opposed to prologues, where you still have a whole book left to read.
Bottom line with prologues: If you cut it, and your story still reads fine without it, then it’s probably not necessary. Explaining the world isn’t a good enough reason to keep a prologue. It needs to have a hook that ties into the basic concept of the story and provides some element you can’t get from the rest of the story but still furthers the story.
Ashe wrote:Oh, sorry. Portaplotty is my portable external hard drive. LOL Sorry.This made me giggle.
JuneDrexler wrote:I also think this comes from the number of bad prologues out there. I’ve read several that I wish I’d skipped. One, in a Romance, told me all the secrets about the hero. I still enjoyed the book, but feel I would have enjoyed it so much more if the author had allowed me to learn these secrets WITH the heroine rather than giving me the information in the first pages.Other time, often in fantasy novels, the prologue is used to explain all the world-building. These are often rather static and, frankly, boring. Again, it’s fun to discover the world as the story unfolds rather than all up front as if in a text book.
I think this is the main danger with a prologue — it can give away too much of the story. Stories are best when they unfold through the action. As a reader, I want to experience the story, not have it explained in some info-dump at the beginning.
But all these bad prologues doesn’t mean that prologues that avoid these pit-falls can’t be good. It’s like so much in writing. When done well, they’re great. When done poorly, it’s … well, bad.
My personal treatment of prologues is that I DO skip them when reading. I cut to the place marked ‘chapter 1’ and start reading. If I can follow the story, I save the prologue for reading at the END of the book. If I can’t follow the story starting in chapter 1, I go back and read the prologue.
This way, my experience isn’t spoiled by a prologue that might well give away more than I want at the beginning.
–June
I agree with all of this. I won’t dismiss a book because it has a prologue, though I’ve had conversations with people who do. I do think that prologues should be rare, and used only in times of great need… like the color yellow, or the emergency stop at a nuclear plant.
To start writing the draft?
I need the main characters and their story goals.
Everything else can be up in the air.
The thing about prologues is that they are often abused. I personally am one of those that skim prologues. If it doesn’t have a hook, I’m not going to read it. Similarly, it creates more work, because not only does your prologue need to have a decent hook, but there needs to be another hook in Chapter 1.
I’ve read one prologue that I actually liked. Most of the time, i don’t enjoy them.
But I do think in certain cases, a prologue is fine. I actually have a prologue in a contemporary military romance I just finished editing. So, I’ll never say a prologue is unnecessary. But it’s a very rare thing.
Mary does add a different perspective, considering how similar the guys’ backgrounds are. I’m not really a Mary fan though. I think she’s super smart, and she knows what she’s talking about, but I don’t usually agree with a lot of the things she says.
I much prefer the shows without her, but I like that they tried to bring in a female perspective and gave it that thought. I still listen to it, of course.
So there I am. Squarely in the middle. LOL
Thanks, y’all!!
I really love the new look around here too.
I miss chat. I need to stop by there soon, too.
The format doesn’t appeal to me, because I read super fast and I’m a fan of instant gratification.
That being said, I’ve been working on a serial story for a while now. My plan was twenty episodes that had a beginning, middle, and end like a TV show episode, but with an overarching storyline.
I agree with zette that there needs to be a clear end. It needs to be planned and organized ahead of launching so that the author doesn’t lose sight. The number one thing I’ve seen is authors getting bored of writing them and moving on, leaving them unfinished.
And these publishers jumping on the serial bandwagon? That’s what they are doing. They’re getting the author to write the book, and then releasing it in shorter formats. It’s organized.
The only thing i don’t agree with there is that they are usually releasing a novel that way. I think it really needs to be more like how the TV shows are written. Each episode is contained within itself, with a season long storyline. I don’t think that I’d be interested otherwise. I hate cliffhangers.
I drink a strong Turkish tea in the morning. After that, it’s strictly water since I’m on a diet at the moment.
*sigh*
I miss my Dr. Pepper.
