Topic: To Prologue or not to Prologue

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous readers, Or to say screw 'em and plunge into the story.

My story, "Exile in Elsewhen" has a prologue. I wrote it because I realized that the central conflict isn't explicitly mentioned until page 90 (Chapter Eight). However, everything leads up to it and has drama itself. Dakota's situation on Mars is conflictual, although it isn't until, what, Chapter Three, that she starts on her real journey. The action leads up to that. Diane's quest to understand what is happening to the world is full of conflict and results in her being present for the major conflict happening. And Rhiannon is brought into it all at this point as well.

The chapters from One on are full of conflict, drama, and humor. So the question becomes--does the Prologue really add to things?  This is fantasy, and readers do expect a long buildup. (Case in point: Gormenghast).

Advice, anyone?

Rachel

Quote Post 1

Re: To Prologue or not to Prologue

My take is...

a) if you like the prologue, keep it
b) If you're 50/50 on it, dump
c) If you don't like it, carry it to Diane's collider and toss it into someone else's dimension

Quote Post 2

Re: To Prologue or not to Prologue

Good advice, Kdot. The prologue presents the crisis that everything up to that point points to, and from which the rest of the book proceeds. It's meant to evoke a "What the hell is happening?" And to newbies, "Who are these people?" I think it does that. I might expand it a bit but it's the essence of what I wanted to say before the story actually commenced.

But then, it might be interesting to see what happens if it is dumped into an interdimensional hyper-matrix.

Quote Post 3

Re: To Prologue or not to Prologue

If the prologue constitutes an interesting story itself, you should definitely keep it.

Quote Post 4