To Prologue or Not to Prologue
The topic of prologues in novels can lead to heated discussions…well, maybe not to that extent. But the subject of prologues can produce passionate blog posts or articles based on the writer’s opinion. Do you enjoy them? Ignore them? Or have no opinion as long as the prologue has a positive influence on your reading experience?
Let’s ponder the prologue
I discovered many articles and blog posts written about this subject when I first began to research the idea. When it comes to whether an author should use prologue in their novels, a few have no opinion either way. However, most readers and authors either enjoy them or hate them. Beyond that, I’d have to say overall many appear to be completely against prologues. The reason may be due to the fact that some authors have misused prologues or only use them to dump information, thereby alienating or misguiding the reader.
Some readers just don’t like prologues
I’ve read a few articles where the claim is made that readers skip prologues completely. As an author, that stat gave me pause…since I use them. As a reader, I was surprised by this claim. I’ve never skipped a prologue if the author began the story with one. My belief is that if a prologue exists, I expect it’s there for good reason.
Some authors won’t touch them with a ten foot pole
But other authors, like myself, feel prologues are necessary to introduce certain elements of the story to the reader. I began my research about prologues when I decided to use them, and I’ll admit I was surprised by how forceful some opinions were about why authors shouldn’t use prologues. While I took to heart what I learned from those opinions, none of the advice I read from others was going to change the way I planned to introduce the reader to my story.
Going against the grain
When I first began writing No Mother of Mine, the first novel in my mystery series, there was no question the initial part of the story had to be a prologue. The prologue contained information I wanted the reader to be aware of but that my protagonist couldn’t yet know. After the book was published, many readers told me the prologue hooked them so that they wanted to read more. From an author’s viewpoint, comments like that are encouraging.
While I wouldn’t call it a place I “dump” information, I am using the prologue to “provide” details to the reader that my protagonist, Jorja, will not learn until she begins digging into her past. Even then, with whatever information I decide to share in each prologue for each novel in the series, the reader is given just a glimpse and is left wondering as they take part in discovering the truth alongside Jorja.
For me, using a prologue is what works with these particular types of stories. I believe the prologue corresponds to how events play out in real life. I quickly decided it was the best approach when introducing each mystery in the series to the reader.
Blame my use of prologues on my past life as a P.I.
My reason for appreciating the use of a prologue has to do with my professional life as a private investigator. Every single case I took on as a criminal defense investigator was after the fact…
After an incident occurred.
After a crime was allegedly committed.
After someone was arrested.
All of the details that would eventually result in a criminal trial occurred before I was hired. I would then have to backtrack to verify, clarify and discover details, as well as develop a timeline. Beyond those actually present during the initial event, only a fly on the wall can know the whole truth about the circumstances surrounding a crime.
The incident or crime itself is the prologue. It’s not something the main character, whether police officer, private investigator, judge or jury—in fiction or in real life—is ever personally privy to.
A mystery series full of prologues
And that’s my reason for using a prologue. I recently published Web of Lies, the sixth novel in the Jorja Matthews mystery series and in this series, from the first novel through this most recent release, I’ve used prologues. So far, based on the feedback I continuously receive, I’m using prologues in a way that readers enjoy.
The reader might not be given all the information they need to understand exactly why something has happened, but when used well, a prologue can give them necessary information to become vested in the story before they tag along with the protagonist to discover the truth.
Not all novels are created equally
As I dabble with other types of writing and stories that aren’t mysteries, or even with the newest mystery series I’m currently working on, prologues won’t be my first choice. But as an author, I retain the right to do what works best for the story. Regardless of whether others believe I’m bending some sort of rule. I believe that’s what makes writing such a great endeavor…
Through writing you get to create
and through that creation
you share with others
what is unique to you.
Asking on behalf of my creative soul, is there anything better than that?
