To Prologue or not to prologue

Okay, a simple question:

Prologues seem to have fallen out of fashion. When do you think a prologue is appropriate?

edited 16th Apr '11 2:33:22 PM by OhSoIntoCats

I think with stories that are told entirely from one person's perspective, a prologue can be a good way to introduce settings and characters you otherwise wouldn't be able to focus on.

I like prolouges. I sometimes use them.

It really just depends on what feels right. Some stories with prologues are better for it, some just feel tacked-on. Some stories without prologues would be improved by them, and some are benefitted by their absence.

edited 16th Apr '11 3:04:37 PM by PDown

Prologues are bad news and if you use one, you better have a good friggin reason for doing so.

And I mean a good reason. Lives need to be at stake.

I have noticed that prologues tend to work much, much better in visual mediums than in literature.

Well, one time I use a prolouge is for a death scene of a character, and another time is for the birth of the protagonist. I believe both scenes are better off as prolouges than "Chapter Ones".

Oh, and in both prolouges, lives are at stake.

edited 16th Apr '11 3:08:46 PM by chihuahua0

The closest thing to a prologue I've done in a serious work was starting out with a Fictional Document (specifically, an in-universe dictionary entry defining the alien race central to the story).

Not literal lives (fictional or otherwise). >:[

I don't know if lives are at stake.

However, because my MC has Insanity Immunity he can't see just how abominable the Humanoid Abomination is. So the prologue would be the Humanoid Abomination being... terrifying.

One of my current projects, a short story collection called "Me and My Family of Friends," contains some of my many experiments with horror. I've written some surprisingly creepy stuff. But the prologue was an introduction, a table of contents in anachronic order, a rough backstory to one of the recurring story arcs in the main stories, and a lot of rather corny jokes told by the unreliable narrator. It's supposed to be a contrast to the actual stories, much like the mere title of the collection ("Me and My Family of Friends") is dissonant to the tone of the stories.

But it was also to give Clarence, the narrator, some characterization, as he doesn't get a short story of his own. But he gets mentioned a lot in the stories, by various characters (protagonists and antagonists alike). The true nature of the narrator is intentionally left a mystery. ...buuut that's just me.

I mean, really, I tend to write "Preludes" or "Overtures," rather than a "Prologue." Preludes are more of an accompaniment story that hints at some of the themes of the main piece. Overtures are an accompaniment story that are entirely an unremovable part of the whole thing that introduces each and every theme and motif. Prologues? Eh. They can be what you want 'em to be.

I usually use a prolouge when the story starts with a viewpoint that is never used again. For example, one of my stories may start with a one-shot farmer being attacked by bandits, followed by the lead character resuring him, before going on his merry way. "Chapter One" would be from the viewpoint of the two protagonists. The prolouge isn't really revelvant to the big picture of the story, but it introduces the lead.

Personally, I don't see a reason why not to use prolouges unless figurtive lives are at stake.

However, don't call them prefaces. That is just plain weird.

P-r-o-l-o-g-u-e

C'mon now.

Sorry, bad habit.

But still, Meyers calling her prologues prefaces is a case of You Keep Using That Word. Prefaces are not used that way. Call them prologues.

Also, an editor who can't find mistakes like not capitalizing "The Terminator" or more blantant ones like "the west coast of Brazil" needs better glasses. However, Twilight isn't that bad—so far.

I do it when there's a good bit of backstory that needs to be explained before the characters even hit the ground. Otherwise, I prefer to jump into the story with an action hook or, if that's out, jumping in In Medias Res.

I'm using one to give a glimpse into the future (a moment near the climax).

I use prologues. They make for Anachronic Order storytelling in my first book. Plus it also provides the "snag" to grab a readers attention and have them for the few critical chapters to introduce characters and setting.

I like the idea of a prologue being interlaced with the first chapter. I was planning on trying that out on AB!Beowulf, but considering the major overhauls I recently made to the plot I might have to drop it.

I was told by a published author to avoid prologues at all costs, it kills readers' interest. If you do something like one, make it really short if you cant hint at things in the text near the beginning.

Anyway, that is what he suggested. That and to never open a book with weather, as it is extremely hard to pull off even for great writers.

I do agree about the length. When I write prologues I restrict myself to two pages, and even then I try and cut them down as much as possible; I find long meandering prologues intensely annoying.

Also: a preface is something written by the author/editor/translator or whoever about the book, not part of the actual book, right?

When there's such a large discrepancy between your Chapter #1 and Chapter #2 that the second chapter seems like a complete non sequitor, despite everything after Chapter #2 not having that problem, that's when its a good idea to have Chapter #1 be a prologue.

…Or at least that's the reasoning I hear most on the subject. I usually just call my first chapter the prologue while writing it and then change it to Chapter #1 later. Not even totally sure why, just that it feels right to do it that way. Gets me in the "introduction" mood, I think.

edited 17th Apr '11 4:50:44 AM by Dec

@jasonwill: Yeah, I read that Elmore Leonard list, too...

I personally like prologues if they are used in a creative way, not just for exposition or backstory. Books like Then We Came To The End or Empire Falls do this well.

edited 3rd May '11 3:20:14 PM by BetsyandtheFiveAvengers

Prolouges not catching the reader's attention? Blasphemy!

Right, prefaces are written about the book. Meyers shouldn't be calling them that, because they're actually prolouges that give a glimpse towards the end of the book.

Oh, if you can skip Chapter One with almost no ill effect, make it a prolouge.

A prologue should be as short as star war's introduction screen (you know, the text at the beggining of the movies that starts with "a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away), other than that I preffer prologues that are more than "this is normal life, and you have to read X pages of boring crap you don't care about just so you know what was happening before the call to adventure".

^ Hence why I do mine in Anachronic Order. The prologue takes place later than the first chapter. Grab their attention with what the story is really like of sorts and more importantly what's to come.