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Post by bethany15 on Mar 19, 2016 12:59:26 GMT -5
What's your opinion on prologues in books? Do you love them? Do you hate them? Do you not really care one way or the other?
For me as a writer, I love prologues. It's a way for me to pull the reader in or explain some backstory. Not to mention that they're just fun to write:) I don't mind them as a reader either. But what do you all think?
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Corissa, Maiden of Praise
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Post by Corissa, Maiden of Praise on Mar 19, 2016 13:26:26 GMT -5
It depends on the book. For books set in a medieval type setting, I find that prologues often add to the intrigue and depth of the beginning of the story. Books set in modern day rarely have prologues (at least the ones I read) and although the ones that do generally add to the curiosity of the reader, they have to be done correctly. I find that if I'm reading a prologue and the villain or hero is revealed to the point that I can figure out who he is before the MC, or if a major plan is revealed that makes you want to scream at the MC to hurry up and figure out, that it makes the book more boring. They are fun to write though.  |
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Post by Anne of Lothlorien on Mar 19, 2016 14:36:23 GMT -5
Corissa's right, modern stories tend to contain prologues less. Most prologues I've read contain back story that happened YEARS before the main story. I.E. about the MC's dad who was fighting the bad guy's dad before they were born, or something like that, or the history of how a magical object was made, found, or hidden. I write prologues to help me come up with new plot and story ideas. Prologues in books are not to bad to read as long as they don't give much away and only add to my suspense. They are sometimes long, and sometimes short. I prefer long ones, as long as they aren't TOO detailed. Sketchy prologues raise intrigue.
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Post by HopeAnnSchmidt on Mar 22, 2016 7:15:04 GMT -5
I love writing prologues too, and I don't mind reading them even though quite a few writing articles seem to discourage prologues. But if they're written right and add to the story, then I think they are good. I think they should be short, no more than a few pages, and a bit vague. And there needs to be a reason it's a prologue not a chapter...normally because it happens way before the story starts or (more likely if it is a modern story) it might be told from the view of a character, like a bad guy, who doesn't have his own view during the rest of the story.
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