Author: | Nola | Published: | over 9 years ago |
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Tags: | openings, prologues, introductions | Category: | Writing tips |
In Part 2 of this series, I looked at the problem with prologues. Although the prologue has become as unfashionable as the Muffin Top, there are occasions when it can be useful. Kristen Lamb suggests two such uses.
However, editor Beth Hill also cautions against saying too much in a prologue. As she notes, ‘a big info dump, even in a prologue, is still a big info dump’. Consider whether some of that information would be better in the main body of the novel. If it has to go in a prologue, make sure the prologue does the work it’s meant to do. For Hill, this means that ‘if a prologue works and entertains, keep it’, but if it doesn’t meet those criteria, ‘toss it’.
Lital Talmor takes this further by suggesting that the prologue is like a worker you’ve contracted to do a job. What is its job description? Does it do the work you hired it to do? She has a simple two-part test to tell whether your prologue is working: ‘Try to leave it out and see if anything important is missing; then try to change its title to “Chapter One”, and check if the plot integrity is damaged. If you’ve answered both questions with a yes, then your prologue is doing a good job.’
Have you used a prologue in your current manuscript? Try applying Talmor’s litmus test and see if your prologue survives. Do you have some examples of good and poor uses of prologues in fiction? I’d be interested to hear your opinions.
Comments read 7 comments
I'd like to thank Jenny O'Hagan for giving me the tip about 'A Game of Thrones'. Jenny is a Sci-fi/Fantasy whizz. Check out her web site at: http://jennysthread.com/
Another great blog, Nola. I know I've trialled prologues for a number of manuscripts and after a period of reflection, invariably cut them out. Really like that concept of the prologue being a contracted worker with a job description they must meet. Really puts it in perspective.
Thanks for the shout out Nola :) While some readers (and publishers) hate prologues, I think if done well they have their place in setting the scene or the tone for a book.
Thanks Jenny. I think you're right. I've read some really good ones, but have also come across ones that weren't necessary or even spoiled the story. I like Talmor's suggestions for deciding whether to leave your prologue in or not. I read a lot of mystery/suspense, and it's quite common there. I guess you come across it a lot in the Sci Fi/Fantasy literature too. Thanks for your thoughts.
Thanks Adele. I really like that article by Lital Talmor. It's a great one to read if you have time. She also includes four job descriptions that the prologue might have (i.e. future protagonist, past protagonist, different POV, and background).
I know what you mean about putting the prologue in and out. I wrote a brilliant prologue for my current novel, but it's now on the cutting room floor. Am thinking of re-inventing it as a poem :) Thanks for taking the time to comment.
I am wondering when background and context material needs to be put into its own space as a prologue, and when it can stay as part of chapter one? Is it to do with the amount of material, or the nature of it? I have often felt impatient when starting a book that has a prologue. I usually appreciate the information but feel like 'please just let me get straight into the story!' Could the role of a prologue really be to help the writer establish a disciplined focus or parameters for their story? In which case it would not need to be published with the story. Unless it's for the sake of those readers who like to be closer to the writer, looking over their shoulder at their notes...?
Thanks Wayne. That's an interesting perspective about the prologue being for the author's benefit in helping them establish the focus or parameters of their story. I hadn't thought of it like that before, but I can see how that could help.
I like Beth Hill's comment about an information dump still being an info dump whether it's in a prologue or in the main body of the book. I guess the trick is to balance the amount of information at the time. Does the reader need to know everything now or can there be more of a slow reveal? 'Showing not telling' is also important.
I think information in a prologue works well when a key event happened before the start of your story and that information is important in understanding later events. For example, a prologue shows a young boy witnessing his father's murder and then the main story starts with that boy now a police officer.
However, if you're reading a prologue and as you say, 'please just let me get straight into the story', then the prologue is probably either unnecessary or boring or both.
Thanks for you comments Wayne. Great food for thought.
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