On September 19, 2012, Charlotte wrote, I have a sort of beginning-related question for the comments section (and a post, if you think it’s big enough for one): What’s everyone’s opinion on prologues? I read somewhere that everybody knows that “prologue” is just code for “backstory”, but then again, backstory is important, now isn’t it? I say this because the first chapter in my current project takes place six years before the main conflict, so technically I ought to be calling it a prologue, but I’ve always shied away from the term for the above reason. If there’s tension in the backstory scenes, is there any reason to leave them off until later? When you jump in medias res, does anyone really dictate which medias res you’re jumping in?
(By the way, as a student of Latin, I’m very excited to have finally realised that in medias res, when translated literally, means “into the middle things”. Which doesn’t sound quite as good, but means the same thing. And explains why I just said “jumping in” instead of “jumping into”.)
I’m with you about which res the writer can begin with. You can start the body of your book at any point. There’s no law.
And, rather than calling our beginning a prologue, we can use a heading, like June, 2006. Once we finish with the events of that period, we can call the next part January, 2013. Or, if the rest of the story takes place in January, we can have it be January 2, 2013, and we can make the earlier segment be June 12, 2006.
My chief objection to prologues is that children often skip them. My only book that has one is The Wish, and I half regret it, because what happens in the prologue, which takes place just minutes before the body of the novel begins, is crucial.
I discovered by googling that children aren’t the only ones who skip prologues, which alone may be a good reason to avoid including one if you can. If the material in your prologue is essential, you may have a bunch of confused readers among those who skipped. They may then give up and stop reading.
Of course people stop reading for lots of reasons. I know this for fact because some kids have confessed to me that they abandoned one or another of my books, even those without prologues. So we shouldn’t be ruled by what readers may or not do; it’s just a consideration.
I didn’t think that prologue necessarily means backstory, so I googled about it and found several sites that agreed with me. A prologue can give background about the world that the reader is about to enter. As Patricia C. Wrede says in her blog post on the subject, this background shouldn’t just be an information dump. We have to make it exciting.
Suppose our story is about an alien culture on the planet Hemmi in a distant galaxy. The Hemmians are intelligent and look like us, and like us they have a right side of the brain and a left side, but unlike us the two aren’t connected; they act independently. Like us again, one side is more artistic and the other more logical. Our human heroine Moni, age fifteen, is on a spaceship that’s about to land on the planet. When it does, she’ll stay and the spaceship will take off again. She’s to spend a year in a Hemmian school forging friendships that will heal the rift between the two planets. We want the reader to understand about the Hemmians before the landing and we do this in a prologue. Here are some choices of the sort of prologue we might choose:
• A scene of the dust-up fifty years ago that caused the last delegation to leave Hemmi. People and aliens are enraged. There’s shouting and table pounding. Someone on either side is injured or killed. This is the backstory prologue.
• A fragment of an earthling newspaper announcing the departure of the spaceship that’s carrying Moni and explaining its purpose and including background about the Hemmians.
• Narration from a different POV from the rest of the story. A Hemmian boy, Divis, in the family where Moni is going to live narrates his preparations for her arrival and his expectations. We show him in action and reveal his thoughts. Through both we give the reader an idea of the differences between Hemmians and humans. For the sake of tension, at least one side of his brain isn’t looking forward to the coming of Moni. When the book continues in Chapter One, Moni, not the Hemmian, is the narrator.
• A retrospective perspective. Moni at the age of sixty-five is telling her grandson about her adventure. The reader is given the impression that there’s something a little unusual about the grandson. Moni sets the stage for the story in the prologue. Chapter One opens on the first-person narration of Moni at age fifteen.
• A scene from the middle of the novel that’s right before a turning point, maybe the moment when Moni profoundly misunderstands something Divis has done. The first half of our story works up to that scene and the second half unravels its consequences.
• A scene from the distant future, long after the events of the story took place. The scene is connected to our story in ways that are revealed as the plot develops.
• A Hemmian prophesy that plays out surprisingly.
I’m being won over to prologues by the possibilities. It’s just too bad we can’t make our books frustrate readers’ attempts to skip them. It would be very cool if the book itself always returned to the prologue if its pages hadn’t been read. I hope some e-book publishers are looking into this!
Another thought from Patricia C. Wrede is that the prologue should be short because we don’t want the reader to get so invested in what’s happening there that she resents leaving and has trouble entering the main event.
Here’s one more idea in favor of prologues: By calling our beginning a prologue, not merely Chapter One, we set it apart, which signals the reader that what’s in here is especially significant. After all, there’s only one prologue in the entire book.
So, my only objection is the risk of reader avoidance. You can check out Patricia C. Wrede’s blog post here: http://pcwrede.com/blog/moreprologue/. The link is to her second post on the subject, which is a lot like this one, minus the Hemmians. In the first she lays out some of her reasons for not writing prologues, and you can click on that, too.
Two prompts:
∙ Write the scene when Moni and Divis meet. If you like, keep going. If the divided brain is hard to work with, imagine that all Hemmians are split personalities, one only dimly aware of the other. You can decide on other splits besides logical and artistic. Or make them alien in any way you like.
∙ Write each of the kind of prologues I suggest, either for the Hemmian story or for another of your stories.
Have fun, and save what you write!
Kathryn Briggs says:
Gail, Can you please define what you mean by 'split their personalities? I love the idea of it, but I don't fully understand.
gailcarsonlevine says:
Sorry for being unclear! And I'm not sure how crystal clear my explanation will be. Roughly, very roughly, someone might behave in a certain way, very childishly, for example, and then have no memory of the behavior. In a way the person's personality is split, especially if it keeps happening. Can anyone help me out with a better explanation?
This kind of mental illness has found its way into movies and books. It's a mental illness here but among the Hemmians, it would be normal.
Kathryn Briggs says:
Sorry, I forgot to add this into my last comment
I was wondering if you could write a post on actually 'starting', about what you do as soon as you get an idea, then when you write notes, what notes you write, and how you start off writing with out hitting a big brick wall that stretches for ever.
gailcarsonlevine says:
I've added your question to my list.
Seaspray Wonderlust says:
You could always include the Pro-log into the first chapter, as Gail does in Ella Enchanted, or you could weave it through the story.
Michelle Dyck says:
Nice! I like the idea about the Hemmians' strange brains. 😉
I've heard that readers skip prologues too, and I can't fathom why! If I see a book has a prologue, I'll read it because it's important. But for the sake of those pesky readers with 'skippy-itis', I wrote my 'prologue' as a segment of chapter one. It worked out fine, because the time span between it and the following events wasn't very big.
Happy New Year, Mrs. Levine!
gailcarsonlevine says:
Happy new year!
Melissa says:
What do you think of starting with the solution at the very beginning and then going back and telling the events that led up to it? I just finished reading a book like that and though it was interesting I thought it seemed backwards. I just want to know if that's something to avoid or if it's okay.
Example:
As I walked through the prison doors into the sunlight I was astonished to see how green everything was and how full of life. The years I had left behind seemed like a dream. I was so overcome with emotion that I got on my knees and wept.
Then it would go on to tell why he went to jail. Perhaps he was a P.O.W. and has just been set free. Does this give away the story or would it still be interesting?
Charlotte says:
To Kill A Mockingbird is kind of like that (or I think it is; that was several years ago that I read it). The first sentence is about how the main character's brother broke his arm (I think?) and their debate about how it wouldn't have happened if they hadn't done this or that thing… I hated it back then, because it made the book a bit of a circle where you needed to read the end to understand the beginning and I didn't want to read it more than once, but, well, I was like that back then. It is a cool concept. So long as you don't give away too much, I guess.
Happy New Year, Gail! (and everyone else who reads this) Thanks so much for answering my question. It's nice to know there are two sides to the prologue debate, although I think I'm going to have to stray towards the con side, because of the whole people-not-reading-them thing. Which really doesn't make sense, but I definitely know people who inexplicably do so anyway.
Rosjin says:
I read prologues. I love them. It reminds me of opening credits in movies. In some ways, it's like a transition between the real world and the book. It gives me a taste of the story before outright submerging me into it.
I think my favorite kind is the one where another character is telling the main book as a story. There's always a bitter-sweet feeling when you get to the epilogue, and have to wake yourself up alongside the fictional listeners. Still, it makes the whole thing a little less lonely.
Unfortunately, it seems people prefer the quick dunk approach. I think I'll write prologues though, if I want to, and if it works with the story.
Hi. I'm new. Happy New Year, and all that nice stuff.
gailcarsonlevine says:
Welcome to the blog!
Granger333 says:
What an awesome blog! It gives such great informationon writing. Thanks for the amazing tips. I really enjoy reading your books. I hope that I can meet you someday. Your posts are definately going to help me write better fantasy fiction! – Ava W.
gailcarsonlevine says:
Thanks!
Sine Nomine says:
As an amusing note, right now I am reading "How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy" by Orson Scott Card and he goes out of his way to completely skewer the idea of using a prologue, at least in an event-structured story.
Specifically, he says "I have learned, as a book reviewer, that it's usually best to skip the prologue entirely and begin with the story – as the author should also have done. I have never – not once – found that by skipping the prologue I missed some information I need to have in order to read the story; and when I have read the prologue first, I have never – not once – found it interesting, helpful, or even understandable."
That's one heck of a strong opinion for him to have on the issue, though perhaps he has changed his opinion in the 22 years since this book was published.
Seaspray Wonderlust says:
I don't agree with Orson Scott Card. Every time I have skipped a pro-log (knowingly only once- I learned my lesson,), I have ended up reading it halfway through the book, because I don't understand. A few times, I have not noticed they are there (probably because I hadn't put my glasses on yet;)And suddenly when I finish the book I find and read them and it all makes sense.
I think you can write a pro-log, but keep it relatively short and sweet. One of the reasons people skip pro-logs is because they think it will have no relativity to the story, or because they want to get into the immediate story.
I say, if you write a pro-log, don't put parts in it that will be completely crustal in the later book, for example, if, in Ella enchanted Gail had put the first chapter, which is kind-of-a-prolog in a real pro-log, and it was skipped, for the first few chapters you would have no idea what was going on, but the curse comes up again and again, so you will probably catch on eventually.
Seaspray Wonderlust says:
Oh- and I just read your reply to my question just before:
What I mean is that my story is dead. It doesn't seem to be working, and I have to force my characters to do things, as on my twelve-idea list, they all seemed like they wouldn't work. My characters are not themselves by being put into this situation, and I keep falling short, having no idea what to do. I don't like my story, because now it is really boring to write, although I am trying to keep it going, it just isn't working. I have tried working on my other story and giving this one a break, (I have two stories at the moment, for if I get annoyed at one), but I really like the idea and don't want to drop it, although it is unraveling badly. I don't know if the theme is to serious for me to handle right now (IT is pretty gruesome and my character is really depressed and slightly crazy from being alone so long.
Is that easier to understand? I can't really explain it, it is hard, but long story short, it feels like I am pulling it along, but it keeps getting stuck, and I am writing a whole load of drivel.
I can't think of a way to describe it better, but if you ask me a more specific question about it, it will be easier.
Sea spray
P.S.
This story is 6,000 words so far and it is four chapters, which is good, meaning I have got into the start of the middle. I wold really like to save this story.
gailcarsonlevine says:
Maybe it's time to set your plot aside for a while at least and have a conversation with your characters. Ask them what they'd like to do, to have happen if it were entirely up to them. See where that gets you.
Inkling says:
I want to know if anyone has any advice about sticking with stories. The longest I ever stuck with a story was 7,417 words. It was my NaNoWriMo novel, but I was grounded for the majority of November, so I didn't have much time to write at all. After I was un-grounded I tried to work on it as much as I could, but before I knew it my mind had jumped to a diffrent idea, and another, and another, and so on. That seems to be the same story with all my ideas. I have to many! Any ideas on how to stop doing this?
On a completly diffrent note, it's great getting to read the blog again! I've been so busy, I haven't had time! I never skip prologues. In fact, I'm a big fan of prologues! I love 'em! It's a great way to drop hints about the following story.
Michelle Dyck says:
Inkling, it sounds like you have so many great ideas that you get sidetracked. One thing you could do is keep a notebook (or computer document) of all your ideas. Jot down notes, premises, characters, names, whatever comes to you. That way you can save them for later.
Another thing, regarding the one story you want to focus on… When you feel like abandoning it, remember the reasons why you loved it in the first place. Rekindled excitment might drive you to keep at it.
I've been writing a series of novels for about four years now. The first one is still not complete — I'm doing an intense edit right now. If I had known way back when I started how much work this would be, I don't know if I would've written a single word. But I took it one thing at a time, and now my book is close to being ready for publication. 🙂 Whatever your goal is with your story, whether to publish it or to simply have completed a novel, keep the end in mind. Even back in the days when my story was just a pile of loose leaf, I kept imagining what it would be like to write the ending, to one day publish the thing.
Anyway, that's my two cents worth. Happy writing!
gailcarsonlevine says:
Great advice from Michelle Dyck!
Michelle Dyck says:
Thank you, Mrs. Levine! 🙂
alyssabcole says:
I always love the tips in this blog. They're always so helpful. Personally I don't mind prologues, so long as they're only a couple pages max.
I also had a question. I made a list of agents I'd like to send queries to, and I'm prepared to email them. But, oddly enough, my problem is the manuscript. It's set in Wales and then in France, so naturally there are Welsh and French names. The names would probably be confusing in terms of pronunciation to a reader, so I made a pronunciation guide of the names for my friends who were reading it. I know there are some books that do have pronunciation guides, but is that the work of the publishing company, or was that the author? Basically, I'm wondering if I ought to delete the pronunciation guide prior to sending out the manuscript to interested agents. If anyone has an answer, it would be most appreciated!
gailcarsonlevine says:
I say send the guide so that the agent doesn't get frustrated when she begins to read. Whether the guide goes into the finished book would probably be a matter to discuss with your editor. The publishing house may have its own standards as to how pronunciation should be shown. Any other thoughts?
Melissa says:
I dunno about what's proper but I personally really like it when there's a glossary in the back for made up languages and pronunciations of words and I expect that names would be just as helpful. I know that when there is something I don't know how to pronounce I tend to just read it without thinking about how it's said.
Michelle Dyck says:
Melissa, that's good to hear! I have a pronunciation guide in my novel, and I've been wondering if that would turn readers off. "A pronunciation guide? What is this, homework?" But I've made up a lot of names, and I want the readers to be able to pronouce them correctly. So like I said, it's good to know I'm not the only one who likes those things. 🙂
Girlgirl5218 says:
i actually like reading prologues because they usually have an element of mystery to them that often doesn't get solved until the middle or even near the end.
writeforfun says:
I'm back now! Sorry, with the holidays and everything, I've just been a little busy. It seems like a year since I was last on here!
Anyway, I got caught up on the three posts I had missed. First, THANK YOU Gail, for all that helpful information on publishing! It really does clear up a lot of questions I've had. I really appreciate your taking the time to explain all of that, because to those of us who are clueless (like me!) it helps a lot!
And also, I like prologues. Well, actually, I haven't read many books with prologues in them, but I can think of one in particular, "Princesses of the Midnight Ball" where the prologue created a mystery, right at the beginning, that kept me on the edge of my seat at I read through the rest of the book hoping to decipher the meaning of the prologue. Pretty cool, I think. I was hooked before the book even started! I can see how a long, irrelevant prologue might drag down a book, though. Still, I like prologues.
Collapse says:
I love this blog! It's absolutely a highlight of my week. One of the only forms of procrastination that makes me want to write MORE! 🙂
I have a question for the blog, but I'm not sure how to submit it – it's about adaptations. If this is the wrong place, just let me know!
Gail, you write so many adaptations of fairy tales, and they're all so excellent – but how do you balance between the original story and your version of the story? In the adaptation I'm working on now, I have a story that I am very excited about, but I worry that it might be diverging too far from its original. For example, I once found a "modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice" that literally only kept the names and the idea that people fell in love, and it was extremely frustrating to me, because I had hoped for a clever interplay with the original, and instead I got a completely different story! I want to avoid that – but I also don't want to be a slave to the plot of the original.
Any advice?