Join us for week 13 MFRW 52-week Blog Challenge
This week’s topic is Prologues: Helpful or Hurtful?
I have mixed feelings on this subject. If done right a prologue can be helpful, especially in a series, it can explain the backstory of the previous boos so you aren’t lost. A great example of this is Charlie Cochet’s Thirds series.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=charlie+cochet+thirds+series&crid=1TJTOJCGKIGEC&sprefix=The+Thirds+series+Charlie+Cochet%2Caps%2C182&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_32 ) The same prologue is in each book telling how the Therians were made, why they are feared, and about the Thirds and how they work. If you go to the book and click on the look inside you can read the prologue and see what I mean. This is extremely helpful n this series and I fee they can be in most paranormal or fantasy books where you need to set up a world and/or species. This way the Author doesn’t have to put a lot of backstory into the ook and we all understand from the
But a lot of times a prologue feels like nothing more than a first chapter. I had a prologue in my current WIP ,but removed it. It worked better as a first chapter.
I’m not sure if they are ever hurtful except for the fact I hear some people never read prologues and epilogues and that could hurt if the prologue is important to the story.
A prologue should set up the story and move it along. A prologue should never be like a chapter in the book where reading along and there is part of the prologue. ( I’ve read books that have done that and that’s more a teaser.) I’ve already read it once. put it on a nice picture and add it as a teaser but don’t call it a prologue in my opinion.
Do you read prologues? Are they hurtful or helpful to you?
14 responses to “To Prologue or not to Prologue that is the question #MFRWauthor #prologues”
I can’t imagine not reading a prologue or epilogue. If the author feels it’s important, I’m gonna role with it.
I am with you. I read from beginning to the very end. Every word. Acknowledgments, table of contents, whatever is in the back of the book, Author bios the whole lot. If it’s in there I read it. But I know people that skip to the first chapter.
I always read them, because to me they’re just another chapter and I wouldn’t want to miss that.
I agree. I am afraid if I don’t read it I may miss something relevant to the book.
I had a prologue in book one in one of my series but after a year or so, I removed Prologue, and began it as Chapter One after a small revision. I liked it better as chapter one. Like you, I’ve heard some say they skip a prologue, and I didn’t want that to happen with this story. I also read everything in both front and backmatter in a book.
I don’t mind prologues and if they are there I do read them. I thought long and hard on my prologue but it wasn’t really setting anything up or years ago and worked better as a chapter.
Mine too, Cathy. I’m sure you made the right decision if it felt right to you.
Thank you. I will see when it goes to my editor lol
I used a prologue in a book to show critical events when the time frame changed drastically in chapter one.
I think those prologues are a must. I hate getting a book and feeling lost right away and this is a time a prologue is necessary.
I always read the prologues and epilogues. Though, that being said I have ran across some that weren’t necessary at all. The information within it could have been woven seamlessly into the regular chapters and you wouldn’t have missed much. I’ve used them before and will again if I ever find them necessary.
I agree so much and the new trend making a prologue a snippet of something that shows up later is a bit confusing to me.
That isn’t a prologue at all. That is a snippet. I don’t get it at all.
They are confusing LOL