I have prologued, and de-prologued, and re-prologued, and re-de-prologued my own current work in progress several times. I think they work for some books and not for others. Like you say, if your story start point is slow, they can be a really good way to hook reader attention so they commit to the slower stuff. FYI though, someone I know recently told me he usually never reads prologues, which was a sobering thought. I'm hoping it's not that common.
I really like the style, with the mix of bird life, drama, emotional insight etc. For me, the prologue feels very self-contained though. It's got all the good narrative elements in it as a standalone, but it didn't leave me wondering what came next. I would say it needs to leave more unsaid, raise more questions so that I want to keep reading to find the answers. Have you thought about using a scene that comes from within the narrative itself ie from the start of Part II? Or just using the high stakes moments from this day and leaving yourself out there in the ocean with a broken forestay, and your reader has to read through the next x number of chapters to get back to that point and find out how you survive?
Hi Anna, thank you very much for your insightful comment. You raise a very good point which I'd become a bit blind to. In all the other chapters I try to leave it with a 'what will happen next' but had completely overlooked that the prologue is a full resolved arc more or less. I think I thought of it too much in terms of showcasing the tone and the type of story the book will be, forgetting it also needs to leave you turning to the next page.
I do hope skipping prologues is not a majority thing, but I have heard this sentiment before. Maybe it depends on the type of book and type of prologue. At least I hope it does!
Hi Alexander, I do think this works well as a prologue. And I don’t think one can conclusively say that prologues are needed or unnecessary as a rule of thumb. Each writing project reveals itself quietly in the process of developing and it seems your instinct is correct about having the prologue based on your description.
I have always had a longing for sailing—growing up near waters and seeing sailboats, I immediately fell in love with them as a child and hoped to one day experience the great ocean in one. Many many years later, I have been fortunate enough to take small trips out on the Pacific. Part of me still longs for a bigger adventure at sea…perhaps it will still come. In the meantime, following your story seems like a lot of fun.
Thank you for you insightful comment and for following along!
I would love sailing on the Pacific coast, having only really done sailing in the north Atlantic.
I can really empathise with that longing to get out on the water, though for me it came at a later point in life!
Incidentally in my most recent post from today I talk about how I got into sailing and was able to get several opportunities to get out on bigger passages, maybe some of that story will resonate for you as well!
I think it was for the best in the end! I was worth taking the time to get Kismet properly prepared before setting off, and who knows what or where something would have gone wrong if not when it happened!
In the end my three month sail around Scotland was safe and successful because I was forced to take the time to prepare :)
I have prologued, and de-prologued, and re-prologued, and re-de-prologued my own current work in progress several times. I think they work for some books and not for others. Like you say, if your story start point is slow, they can be a really good way to hook reader attention so they commit to the slower stuff. FYI though, someone I know recently told me he usually never reads prologues, which was a sobering thought. I'm hoping it's not that common.
I really like the style, with the mix of bird life, drama, emotional insight etc. For me, the prologue feels very self-contained though. It's got all the good narrative elements in it as a standalone, but it didn't leave me wondering what came next. I would say it needs to leave more unsaid, raise more questions so that I want to keep reading to find the answers. Have you thought about using a scene that comes from within the narrative itself ie from the start of Part II? Or just using the high stakes moments from this day and leaving yourself out there in the ocean with a broken forestay, and your reader has to read through the next x number of chapters to get back to that point and find out how you survive?
Hi Anna, thank you very much for your insightful comment. You raise a very good point which I'd become a bit blind to. In all the other chapters I try to leave it with a 'what will happen next' but had completely overlooked that the prologue is a full resolved arc more or less. I think I thought of it too much in terms of showcasing the tone and the type of story the book will be, forgetting it also needs to leave you turning to the next page.
I do hope skipping prologues is not a majority thing, but I have heard this sentiment before. Maybe it depends on the type of book and type of prologue. At least I hope it does!
Hi Alexander, I do think this works well as a prologue. And I don’t think one can conclusively say that prologues are needed or unnecessary as a rule of thumb. Each writing project reveals itself quietly in the process of developing and it seems your instinct is correct about having the prologue based on your description.
I have always had a longing for sailing—growing up near waters and seeing sailboats, I immediately fell in love with them as a child and hoped to one day experience the great ocean in one. Many many years later, I have been fortunate enough to take small trips out on the Pacific. Part of me still longs for a bigger adventure at sea…perhaps it will still come. In the meantime, following your story seems like a lot of fun.
Hi Sylvia,
Thank you for you insightful comment and for following along!
I would love sailing on the Pacific coast, having only really done sailing in the north Atlantic.
I can really empathise with that longing to get out on the water, though for me it came at a later point in life!
Incidentally in my most recent post from today I talk about how I got into sailing and was able to get several opportunities to get out on bigger passages, maybe some of that story will resonate for you as well!
I think it works beautifully! Attempt no. 1 :)
It also really shows how scary the sea can be, and how much you had to fix up before happily sailing around Tarbert! I had very little idea :)
Thanks Ben! Yeah a lot can go wrong, but all was safe within reason! You do have to be prepared for things to go wrong and have a backup plan ready!
Wow, Alexander....
It works for me as a prologue.
An unhappy first voyage, but maybe the gear failure saved you from a greater disaster.
If so, perhaps it was, indeed...Kismet?
Best Wishes - Dave :)
Thanks Dave,
I think it was for the best in the end! I was worth taking the time to get Kismet properly prepared before setting off, and who knows what or where something would have gone wrong if not when it happened!
In the end my three month sail around Scotland was safe and successful because I was forced to take the time to prepare :)