Get hooked by the Epilogue or Chapter 1?

[limubai2000]

Michael Stackpole points out and teaches that if your prologue is good enough to include in your book then it should really be chapter 1. I tend to agree with this for the most part. Though even he has the odd prologue or two.

I think Teresa has some great points also.

I've read prologues that I felt should have been there and others that I thought were superfluous. I am not using them in my books. To each their own.

 

[Toby Frost]

you're Toby freaking Frost

Now I feel awesome. Thank you!

 

[chopper]

frame that quote!

 

[Anne Lyle]

I think prologues are fine if the reason they're not Chapter One is because they are in a different place/time/PoV - like the beginning of "A Game of Thrones".

The infodump prologue, though, is just a tired imitation of LotR and best avoided. Much as I love it, the damned book is 60+ years old and shouldn't be used as a writing model! (Except maybe for how to write landscape description.)

 

[Prototype]

I like to be at least 'intrigued' by the first line... The first line has to have me asking questions; whether it is a prologue or chapter one.

 

[RoninJedi84]

This is something I've been struggling with myself for a couple of months now. I have a "prologue" written, which does what it should IMO. It draws the reader in and gives them a perspective on the antagonist that the protagonist doesn't have until later in the story, and gives (again IMO) an impression of real danger from the villian.
I just can't make up my mind whether to keep it or not.

I would suggest you try what I'm leaning toward (and will probably keep since I've been told by many that "Prologue" is a bit of a dirty word) and just call your Prologue "Chapter One". A chapter length isn't too awful important, I believe, as Dan Brown writes books with tens of dozens of chapters, but some may be 20 pages long and others 20 sentences. Sorry, he's the first one who came to mind, but you get the point.

For what it's worth, I would say try that and read from the beginning. See if it makes sense and does it's job, if it flows as the other chapters do. If it doesn't, then just get rid of it and Chapter 2 will now be Chapter 1 again. That's my two cents. Hope it helps and good luck!

 

[Menion]

Thanks for the feedback RoninJedi84 and all the rest.

I have rewritten what was the prologue to make it instead of an info dump by the narrator into Chapter Two, which in my opinion has turned out better, I just split Chapter One and turned the secong half of it into Chapter Three. Since in C1 was split in half and a month passed in that split.

Quote:
you're Toby freaking Frost
Now I feel awesome. Thank you!

You're welcome

frame that quote!