Writer's Fallout Shelter

I don't know if you've ever read a prologue that read more like a general synopsis of the coming story. It's almost like, "...In our previous episode...". That's the sort of of prologue that I refer to as an info dump. Another instance is that which compresses the childhood of our MC in 3-5 pages, telling rather than showing why a character is now cold, aloof, warm-hearted, an assassain, a cheese cutter in Wisconsin, etc...
By using a prologue in that manner, we're not showing events or cause and effect. We're simply telling the reader what we want the reader to know before we actually begin the story. Info-dump.

Like I said, I like them. Even poorly written prologues don't bother me overly much. I figure in most cases it needs to be read, else the author wouldn't have written it.

In the thread/survey I mentioned in my first topic post, the anti-prologue group seemed to form a consensus regarding the following:

[i]Good prologues don't really stick with you months or years later. They accomplish the intended mission and allow you to move on to the story. A poor prologue may not stick with you either, but you'll remember what a waste of time it was, and that it likely contributed nothing to the story, so you begin to scan them at first, before deciding to just skip them all together. If they don't serve to move the story, leave it out. If it [u]does[/u] move the story, just call it chapter one and get on with it. But don't use it to sneak in a synopsis of the story (really poor writing) or dump a lot of useless information about the character's life before he had super powers, his deceased wife, or dysfunctional family...UNLESS it moves the story.[/i]

I can agree with some of their argument. I can't agree with their blanket assertion that all prologues are either useless or distracting. Skipping all prologues because they read a few that were pointless is like saying "I'll never read another book that has a red cover. All books with red covers suck!"

A good prologue doesn't necessarily move the story. That's not its function. It should, however, contribute something such as providing the reader with some early back story {SOME being the key word) or establish setting, mood, etc... If it can't do that, it's probably not an effective tool and the author may want to consider a rewrite, or deleting it all together. If it actually advances the story, theres no real harm in labeling it "prologue" though in reality it's more likely your first chapter.

In the final analysis, we can call it whatever we like. When the story sells, the house editor is going to tell, not ask, the author to label the opening as one of three: Chapter One, Introduction, or Prologue.



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{i}"Have you ever been caught hiding bodies in your closet? No? Good place to hide them, uh?"{/i}

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