What is a prologue? When should you use one? Should you forget about a prologue and simply start at Chapter 1?
All too often we pick up a published book and read the prologue, then wonder why it was there at all. It doesn't seem to do anything that Chapter One couldn't have done - or that couldn't have been worked in during the story itself. Or the prologue is a scene taken directly from the book - a few paragraphs inserted only to make us keep reading. I feel cheated if I get to a point halfway through the book - or near the end - and find that the prologue is nothing more than a word-for-word excerpt from the book. (Seems like 'entrapment' or something!)
Some writing tutors maintain that a prologue should never be there just to provide atmosphere and to 'hook' the reader. I don't agree; it depends on how it is handled. I think there is a place for a prologue to act as a drawcard for the rest of the story - but please, don't be obvious about it. Don't 'cheat' by just copying a short scene from a 'cliffhanger moment' near the end, pasting it in before Chapter 1 and calling it a prologue.
A prologue should reveal significant facts that contribute to our understanding of the plot. It should be vivid and entertaining in its own right (who wants to read a boring prologue, no matter how much of the background it explains?) It should make us want to read on.
What Is A Prologue?
A prologue is used mainly for two reasons.
Do You Need a Prologue?
The points raised above will probably give you a good idea already of whether you really need a prologue. If you're still not sure, then simply ask:
Millicent McHarg sat on an iron chair on the patio in the back garden where the Buddha with its green lights resided. She was wearing her winter coat, her grandmother's furs and her felt hat with an ostrich feather. As she said herself, she only wore that particular feather when she was feeling triumphant. Nonetheless she was in a thoughtful mood. Her height, her elegance, her fine-boned features were elegant even in repose.
The funeral was over and she was planning on how to proceed. She looked up at the house with her apartment attached at the side. The lights were already on and the warmth from inside almost drew her in. Then she turned and looked down at the orchard. For a moment she thought there was movement among the trees, but not being given to fanciful thinking she quickly dismissed the possibility of a ghost. She had other things on her mind. She thought of her granddaughters in the main part of the house and she considered the options.
She would write the synopsis of a new book, she thought. She would call it Divine Justice, or maybe Retribution. No, she thought. I will call it Revenge. I will never have it published, but I will use it. My God, but I will give it to him, and watch him read it, and then he'll know. I will people it with real characters, and she ran through the list in her mind: Millicent McHarg grandmother and author, known as Grammer to the children
Maria McHarg her daughter-in-law, known as Mum
Prunella McHarg eldest granddaughter aged seventeen at the start of the story, known as Plumpet
Daphne McHarg middle granddaughter aged fourteen and known as Daffers
Maya McHarg youngest granddaughter, adopted, aged between four and five, known as the Dumpling I'll let them tell the story, Millicent decided. And I'll include Theresa Carmody. She can tell her story too.
It was very cold on the patio and the plan was forming nicely. The door from her apartment into the garden opened, and Waldorf appeared on the step.
"Millie," he called, "are you really sitting out there in this weather? Is that really you?"
"The one and only," she said, which observation pretty much summed her up.
"I thought I saw a ghost," he commented lightly, "down among the trees."
"I think not," said Millicent McHarg. "I doubt that a ghost would dare to hover here."
"Too right," Waldorf replied. A tall thin humorous man, slightly older than Millicent, he talked with a plum in his mouth and was given to wearing a buttonhole, swinging an umbrella and talking in riddles.
"I'm going in to the girls," he told her.
"I'll follow in a moment," she replied. "I'm just putting the finishing touches to a new book."
"I should think you've done enough for one day," he said dryly.
We'll see about that, she thought.
The door closed behind Waldorf and she lifted her head. For a moment she thought she could hear the laughter of her granddaughters coming from the house. She sighed, knowing that she had not heard them laugh like that all Christmas, and that it would be a long time before she could hope to hear them laugh like that again.
******
I probably don't need to explain to you why this prologue works so well - but let's examine it in a little more detail anyway.
A Final Test
Before you make a final decision about whether to write a prologue for your book, do this.
Spend some time at the library (or at your bookshelves at home, if they are extensive). Pluck books from the shelves, looking for prologues. Read through at least a dozen. More if you can. The time will be well spent.
Which prologues worked well? Which pulled you into the story? Which cleverly outlined the backstory, getting it out of the way before the story started?
Which dragged? Which didn't need to be there at all? Which were weighed down by the load of the information they had to carry, and bored you? How could they be fixed?
Analysis of published work is an excellent way of deciding what works and what doesn't. You are a reader as well as a writer; you know a lot about what readers like. Make sure you're a writer that gives your readers what they need, as well as what you want.
(c) copyright Marg McAlister
Marg McAlister has published magazine articles, short stories, books for children, ezines, promotional material, sales letters and web content. She has written 5 distance education courses on writing, and her online help for writers is popular all over the world. Sign up for her regular writers' tipsheet at http://www.writing4success.com/
Lincoln Stretch rentals Alsip ..If you either want to write a book to help... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?I have said above that if a... Read More
So you've decided to crown yourself with a title that... Read More
If you are an aspiring writer, or you simply want... Read More
The principle for writing good screenplays begins with good idea... Read More
In large publishing houses, many manuscripts penned by first-time authors,... Read More
You may wonder why I have chosen this title of... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?Whichever theme you choose, all the elements,... Read More
By far, I have found that the lack of discipline... Read More
Proofreading worksheets are a great tool to help individuals open... Read More
Day after day, writers tend to sit for hours writing... Read More
ESSAY 3Writing an autobiography involves a matching up of a... Read More
As a child, I loved to write. I can't remember... Read More
Recently, I was hunting for a book that would simply... Read More
So you want to learn to research well, and not... Read More
How to Start Your Story with a BangThe purpose of... Read More
Eight or nine times out of ten, picking up and... Read More
Around eighty percent of nonfiction books today are written by... Read More
How many times have you checked out a job board... Read More
GAINING WRITING EXPERIENCE Some Catch-22, huh? In... Read More
Based on the feedback that I have been getting from... Read More
Have you given up on getting your book out of... Read More
I've just come back to work after nine glorious, sun-drenched... Read More
* Scanning and Skimming Practices *Whether you're writing e-mail messages... Read More
Everone knows that comedy is mostly about timing. If you... Read More
Western Springs shuttle limo ..ESSAY 3Writing an autobiography involves a matching up of a... Read More
One of the biggest problems that inexperienced writers have is... Read More
During the years that I've been teaching writing and participating... Read More
If you become a writer for any publication, private business,... Read More
These 8 tips on using characters in your stories will... Read More
I do on occasion run out of ideas for my... Read More
Most people can easily identify with the dreaded "writer's block".... Read More
My husband is no poet, so when I offer my... Read More
Every writer eventually develops her own unique style of writing.... Read More
It turns out that "tips and templates on how to... Read More
In a crowded market, clients will be seeking personality as... Read More
Think of writing like karate...it's about DISCIPLINE.Writing, like other forms... Read More
Effective screenwriting relies on the good understanding and use of... Read More
Everybody knows writing a story is not easy. Like the... Read More
You sink back into your favourite chair with a new... Read More
The first step in the writing process is to put... Read More
Part 1 of this article discussed the experience you need... Read More
There are so many ways for writers to make good... Read More
Be careful when you write.Words you use, sentences you phrase... Read More
Last week I was having a quick browse on eBay... Read More
This is the ideal topic for us all to think... Read More
LATER, LATTERLater means afterwards; latter is the second of two... Read More
While novels do not usually attempt to convey concepts about... Read More
Great writing transports one vicariously to realms that the reader... Read More
One day in the mid-1970's a young man stumbled into... Read More
Writing |