Prologues are one of the most asked-about subjects in the publishingosphere. Do agents like them? Should I include mine in a partial? How many people dying at the hands of zombie mutants in the first page of my prologue is too many? And so on.
My post on all things prologue is here. But what I am curious about today is: do you like prologues? How strongly do you feel about them either way? Do your feelings run hot, cold, or lukewarm?
If you’re reading via a feed reader or by e-mail you’ll need to click through to see the poll.
Jaimie says
If something is important enough to go into a prologue, it's important enough to go into chapter 1.
Chapter 1 is what you start your book with. That's the way I see it.
Marilyn Peake says
I voted: "It depends on how good the prologue is". Great writing comes in all forms.
I noticed many rhetorical questions in today's post. I especially like: "How many people dying at the hands of zombie mutants in the first page of my prologue is too many?" Now thereβs an important question, and one that is never adequately covered in books about writing. LOL.
jjdebenedictis says
I was just reading this article by brain scientist and writer L. K. Blackburne on how to get and keep people's attention.
Creating a mystery does the trick, and the best prologues usually set up a question the reader wants answered. Hence, I think prologues have a place.
Liberty Speidel says
I rarely notice something's a prologue, so none of the poll answers apply to me. I start reading a book on Page 1, and if that's "Prologue", "Introduction", or "Chapter 1", so be it. The only time I really notice it is when I listen to audio books.
Most writers I talk to agree that having a prologue is okay, but it's probably better to just call it "Chapter 1".
reader says
Can't stand them. Never read them anymore.
If it's not important enough to be part of the book, why put it in at all? If you have to explain what we're about to read in the book, or set it up, then your first chapter is probably off.
D. G. Hudson says
Prologues seem unnecessary to me unless the book in question is a long awaited sequel. In that case, the prologue could be useful.
I keep skimming through prologues because I want to actually get into the story itself. The prologue is like a set-up or an opportunity for the author to express his views. (Granted, the expertise of the author could be the reason for so many failed prologues.)
So, I'm not crazy about them and I voted No.
Queen Mab says
I have read a few prologues that worked. My general impression is that the writer had something important about the story, but was otherwise unable to work it into the story–which translates to laziness. Sorry, to be so mean, but it's how I feel.
Rachel says
I like short prologues – the ones that are a paragraph or two long.
its like a nice backdrop on a stage, if its done well. It pulls you in makes you curious. Who are these people? What is this place?
Candice Gilmer says
I have to agree with Liberty, I just read from page one, whether it's a prologue or not, I just start at the beginning. π
Heidi Norrod says
As a young adult writer I try to remember how I disliked prologues as a teen reader. I think there are very few circumstances where a prologue is essential. I would rather put the info in as chapter one or use flashbacks in the novel. That's just my opinion.
andrea says
I HATE prologues–when I was little, I would never, ever read them. Prologues, introductions, nothing. If they weren't titled Chapter One, I wouldn't read them. I force myself to read them now, but only if it looks like they contain necessary information.
maybe genius says
I'm partial to prologues, so long as they're GOOD prologues, so I selected option #3. I definitely think they can be used as a device to set the mood, or create a set-up for the story if you want to, say, start with a different POV or with an event that happens years before the main storyline.
However, they can definitely be useless or hokey. To be fair, though, MANY things in fiction can be useless or hokey if they're used poorly. One prologue I'm not a fan of is the sort that takes a scene from later in the book – usually just before the climax – and uses it to draw the reader immediately into action that they're not actually going to get to partake in until much later. Many times it's used because the first few chapters are slow. I kind of feel like that's cheating.
camelama says
I voted "depends" because it's not just the quality of the prologue, it's the QUANTITY for me.
If a prologue is more than a couple pages, I think it should have been a chapter or worked into the body of the book itself. It makes me distrust the author and the rest of the book.
If they can't write this scene/info into the book, what other tricks are they going to pull? What else didn't they care enough to do well?
Karen Yuan says
I generally don't like prologues either, but then there are the mind-blowingly good books like THE BOOK THIEF, which opens which a prologue. Go figure!
I think it really depends on how good the prologue is.
Ted Cross says
If done well I love prologues and cannot understand those people who rail against them. All of my favorite books have them. The venom from the other side makes me feel that I should put a prologue into every novel I write.
Shawn Kamesch says
I rarely read introductions by the author, but I enjoy prologues as a reader. I like knowing more of the greater world than the protagonist or narrator couldn't know or say.
As a writer, I like the idea of showing a slice of the world before revealing where the protagonist fits in it. It gives the reader valuable first impressions that otherwise have to be built over time, perhaps losing their power.
Is that laziness? Maybe. But I like it. π
DG says
In my earlier days of reading, I'd often skip prologues and go straight to chapter one. Nowadays it seems so often in a murder/mystery story, the prologue often contains a murder and chapter one begins in flashback. It's like how CSI and Law and Order start. If you miss the first few minutes before the show title and music start, you're sunk.
When I ask friends about prologues, they often say they skip them. Made me get rid of my prologue in my first novel.
The best prologue I've ever read is in Dan Brown's Angels and Demons. It's short and sweet and sets the tone perfectly.
Adventures in Children's Publishing says
I have a YA manuscript that started out with a prologue before I read that everyone hates them. I removed the prologue and have never been completely happy with the first chapter, no matter how many hundreds of hours I've spent on it. The other day, I woke up and put a prologue back. A different prologue, a better prologue, but a prologue nevertheless. Then I sent the first page of both the prologue and the first chapter around to my crit group and to a gaggle of 16-year-old beta testers–not the same ones who had read the manuscript. I asked which everyone preferred. My crit group was divided but they all said, "Agents hate prologues." The 16-year-olds were evenly divided, until they started passing it around to their friends and friends of friends. It now comes down heavily in favor of the prologue.
Takeaway, it depends a lot on the reader.
I was careful to leave the first chapter independent. If someone skips the prologue, they'll be fine. I'm thinking of sending the mss around without the prologue and then presenting it later as as an option. Just in case of prejudice. Or should I just mention it in the letter?
Marian Allen says
I love prologues. I know it puts me in the minority, but I do. I expect a prologue to be, as you say, something that will enrich the material that comes after it but needs to be set apart. I usually prefer short ones, so I don't have a chance to get too attached to characters, but I tend to trust any writer I intend to spend a book's-worth of time with to do right by me.
Stephanie McGee says
I'm in the "I don't notice" camp. Both my last project and my current one had/have a prologue. With the last project I cut the prologue. With the current project, I am keeping the prologue for now, mainly because I'm still in the first draft and so I'm not doing much by way of revisions. After reader feedback, I'll either tweak or scrap the prologue.
If a prologue is done well, meaning it adds to the story in some way, then go for it. There are times when it's necessary. There are times, too, when it's there out of pure laziness. But who are we to judge which is the case?
Eric J. Krause says
I have no problems with prologues, as long as they are well done. If it holds my attention, then it's an excellent addition to a book. If it doesn't, I'll skim briefly before heading to chapter one.
Livia says
Hey Nathan, on a totally unrelated topic, remember Made to Stick, the book I recommended that talks about how to make something interesting? I ended up blogging about it. Come on by if you're interested.
Nathan Bransford says
Saw that, Livia! I'll be linking to it on Friday.
Dee says
It depends on what the prologue does (and how good it is).
I am annoyed when the prologue foretells something that will happen in chapter 20 as a way to "hook" the reader.
But it can be very useful in setting the atmosphere and giving the writer a chance to understand the book's universe before the real action begins.
I do have a prologue for my current work in progress. It narrates an even that happened almost a decade before the main storyline but has influenced the main character immensely. I guess I could have included that in the storyline, but I don't like flashbacks.
(What do agents think about flashbacks?)
Livia says
Oh, and jjdebendictis beat me to it. Thanks!
Josin L. McQuein says
Too many people equate prologue with an excuse to inflict an info-dump. They have all this information that the reader "needs up front", which is usually just information the writer wants to include because they love the characters/world. (I'm glaring at you, George Lucas and your Star Wars intro screens.)
If it's really needed information, then it can be told in the story. If the reader can't get needed information in the story, the writer's doing something wrong.
If there's a totally isolated incident that pertains to the story, sure, make it a prologue. I even like the ones that give a "preview" of a coming scene, especially if they involve a character that enters the story late, but is important.
IMO, stories should work without a prologue, but if someone were to read the prologue (before or after the book because some people skip them at first)it should add dimension to the story.
MJR says
I don't like prologues. I'll skim through it maybe, but generally I start with Chapter One.
maybe genius says
I'm kind of curious as to whether or not people would care if the Prologue chapter were just changed to "Chapter 1."
In some cases that wouldn't work, but I'm thinking of something like, say, Book 1 of Harry Potter. It opens with a focus on the Dursleys after Harry had just been born, and then Chapter 2 jumps forward 10 years. "Chapter 1" probably easily could have been labeled a "Prologue," but it wasn't. If writers just called it "Chapter 1," would it bother so many people?
Anonymous says
No to prologues. They waste my time. They don't make me want to keep reading into chapter 1. They make me want to put the book down as soon as I see the word prologue. They are not a tease for whats to come, and they are not supplying crucial info I need to know. Prologues are an author's inability to start the story from the beginning, where the action is happening. They are using a cheap escape route, a bypass. Prologues are for Hollywood.
Now on to Chapter 1 of my comment on prologues…
Jenn Marie says
I love prologues in both books and movies. It's that scene that is central to the plot, but which the protagonist as yet knows nothing about. I love reading to see how the two will connect.
However – I HATE prologues that are segments completely lifted from events later in the book. They're just lazy and silly. I'm looking at you, Twilight.
Anonymous says
Prologues are a writer's way of saying "I didn't know where to start."
I tend to judge a book by whether it begins with a prologue. If it does, I will typically shelve it and not bother. The other thing I check for is an epilogue. Ditto on the shelving. If it has both a prologue AND an epilogue, I will probably give it the sign of the Evil Eye in addition to putting it back on the shelf.
Livia says
And thanks, Nathan for linking to it. Much appreciated π
jenni bailey says
I sort of hate prologues. And I hate how every new book I pick up lately has one (even though 99% of agents/editors say not to do write them).
Valerie says
I think there's a time and a place. I would argue that a prologue should be written last rather than first, should the author finish her manuscript and decide that something really needs to be set up or foreshadowed. It can help avoid cumbersome exposition later by conveying information through showing and not telling. I also think it works best when the events of the prologue occur well before the rest of the narrative; a big shift between chapters 1 and 2 might be weird otherwise.
One example that comes to mind is the story of Moses; the prologue is him being set in a basket and found by the princess, chapter 1 is him as a grown man beginning his journey to free his people. Big time gap there, and the prologue contributes to the dramatic irony of the tale.
Latoya Alloway says
I hate prologues. I have never read a prologue in my life and I read a lot of books. I start reading at Chapter 1. I don't think I've been missing anything either.
Heather Dixon says
My favorite use of prologues is in Terry Pratchett's "Going Postal"–it begins with two prologues: "The Nine-Thousand Year Prologue" and "The One Month Prologue".
By themselves they make absolutely no sense, other than to set a mysterious tone. But, after you've read the book, you go back and read the prologues and it opens up the entire theme of the book and the characters, like finding a hidden treasure chest. I LOVE prologues like that π
Remilda Graystone says
I'm kind of iffy on prologues. I generally don't have them in my stories, and I'm not really into reading them in published works if I feel like I could still understand the story without it. I think there have been only a few prologues that I've felt added something to the story over the years that I've been a reader, prologues that I've actually liked reading. I've read plenty of them and felt like the story would've been fine without them.
I always see Chapter 1 as the beginning of the real story and the prologue as an intro. I think that you can work into the story what's in the prologue. I guess the questions are: How important is this scene? Will the reader still understand the story without it? Then go from there.
LGS says
At the conference I attended last month, every editor and agent said to avoid the prologue. They just skip them when you submit, so don't bother.
But I noticed that the last three books I picked up to read all had prologues. Two were historical fiction and one a fantasy, so maybe those genres require more background? I dunno.
Dee says
Giving the *reader* a chance to understand the universe. Hopefully the writer already understands it.
Sorry. π
Anonymous says
Quill from the forums here.
Pro-prologue, seeing as I have one in my WIP, and can't take it out, or merge it w/ Chapter 1 or re-name it Chapter 1.
So, yeah.
debutnovelist says
I voted for 'depends on the prologue' but this is such a hobbyhorse of mine. A good prologue is good. But I've seen so many bad ones!
Anyone interested might like to read my version of the argument
https://debutnovelist.wordpress.com/2009/10/16/against-irritating-prologues/
Thanks for another opportunity to let off steam!
AliB
T.J. says
I'm gonna add my two cents here on prologues. I think prologues are awesome if done correctly. I think Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone's first chapter should've been a prologue, not a chapter 1. I think prologues are good and should remain a part of writing as I do enjoy reading them. I say the same thing about Terry Brooks' Gypsy Morph. But obviously there are some editors/agents that don't like them. I have a prologue for my book. If it doesn't end up in my book then I'm going to post it on my website for my audience to read because as the author I feel it is still important.
Kelly Wittmann says
I've really never had strong feelings about them one way or another. Some are good, some are bad.
Kathleen MacIver says
If the prologue takes place a long time before the book starts, and it's part of the story, it just doesn't make sense to make it Chapter 1. The book I just read…I suppose you could say that the prologue wasn't necessary…but I love the book 2x as much because of that prologue, than I would have otherwise. π
debutnovelist says
I just voted 'depends on the prologue' but this is such a hobbyhorse of mine. A good prologue is good, but I have seen so many bad ones! Anyone interested please stop by here https://debutnovelist.wordpress.com/2009/10/16/against-irritating-prologues/
Thanks Nathan for another chance to let off steam!
AliB
Anonymous says
Quill again.
Nathan, THANKS for weighing in with "yes" on whether or not to send the prologue with the partial. Seems only logical, but there seems to be a lot of controversy floating around about that.
Melissa Sarno says
In film, it is generally thought that nothing important should happen in the first 5 minutes because viewers are not 'in' the film yet. I often feel this way about books. It is easy to miss valuable information in the first few pages because you're just not 'in' the story yet.
I know millions of people will argue that you're supposed to be amazing, super-power writer and draw in your readers immediately. That your writing has to be so solid and tight not a single word should be extraneous. But, in reality a lot of stories and readers build slower than that. A prologue can be a good opportunity to draw a reader in, set the mood and tone so they get comfortable, but don't miss valuable information.
ryan field says
I hardly read them and never write them. They annoy me.
tre says
I like a good prologue, if it describes something essential that occurred well before the actual story begins. But it has to be sufficiently removed to not warrant just being called chapter 1.
I don't like the prologues that are really describing something halfway through the book, in order to get your attention. I'll read the back cover if I want to know what's going to happen (I hate reading back covers before I finish the book though).
Leah Petersen says
I went with "depends". I can't imagine the Wheel of Time series without the prologue to capter 1, nor do I want to . It was incredible and SO important.
The prologues of the next eleven books I could happily dump in the trash, never to be seen again.
I hate when it keeps me from getting to the story. When it's integral, it's good. And making it a prologue instead of Chap 1 makes sense if there's a big time difference, change of POV, etc.