Here we are again! A topic I feel passionately about. The funny thing is, I posted a thread by this title in the Wattpad Fantasy Club, and the comments I got completely flipped my view on prologues (cool how that works, right?).

When I posted that thread, it was because I had conflicted feelings on my prologue. I started my current WIP two years ago, and had only just written the prologue six months ago. I had a lot of contradictory opinions from readers: some said they loved how short and descriptive it was, others saying I should put in more descriptions, some saying how much emotion they could feel, some saying it was bland and stiff, yadda yadda yadda.

Then I got some advice from fellow writers that really helped me in my decision. I turned my prologue into my epilogue, and I like it much better where it is now. Since then, prologues have become my personal pet peeve, and lemme tell you why.

SHHHHH it's okay I'm standing by my original mission, which is to never say something is wrong. And yet.

There are so many times when I've opened books on Wattpad and the first thing you see is PROLOGUE. And it's not just a short teaser, no no no. It's page. After page. After page. And most of the time, it is so, so boring.

Most prologues I've read fall into one of the following categories:

1. The history prologue. This is the one that tells the reader aaallll about the events leading up to the book. Sometimes, it'll be focused on the main character. Other times, they'll tell you the entire flipping history of the world. Do you know what that's called? A prequel! So go write your prequel and leave the story in peace!

This is my least favorite prologue because it's usually all the things that turn me off: lengthy, bland, and unnecessary. Does this mean all history prologues are dull? Of course not. But if you're going to do one of these, I suggest making sure it is short, sweet, and necessary. A personal favorite of mine has always been the prologue that's being told as if by a gypsy or bard, like it's an epic tale instead of a history. Make it spicy and alluring and fierce and suspenseful and 100% worth the read. Your readers should be like this:

Otherwise, it's not a good hook.

2. The random-scene-that-has-seemingly-no-importance prologue. I know this might seem like a great tool for foreshadowing, but lemme ask you something- if your reader doesn't find out how it pertains to the book until halfway through or the very end, why the heck would it interest them? Maybe you know that this deceptively innocent passage holds the key to the very end of the world, but they don't. Odds are, to them, it's just really weird. If you're going to start your book off with a totally random scene, then make it interesting. Sow questions that must be answered, make it feel important and relevant, and once again, keep it short.

3. The "reflecting on all one has lost" prologue. This could just be me. In fact, it probably is just me. But when a book starts off with a moody character wandering through some wasted battlefield or airy limbo land thinking about everything that has transpired, how the world is brought to its knees, how they failed, yadda yadda yadda, I yawn. I have no interest in this character, I'm not emotionally attached to this character, and therefore, I really don't care what this character has lost. There are always exceptions, but I generally dislike this beginning. The beginning of a book should make your heart race with anticipation, not feel burdened and heavy with grief and sorrow. That's for the end, silly.

4. The "deity watches from above" prologue. You all know what I'm talking about here. It's often mixed with the previously mentioned prologue, where some omnipotent, random POV that we don't really care about is thinking about sorrow or anger or revenge or destiny or some such. The author then proceeds to throw in a bunch of mystical hints about the horrible things that are about to come, and then the deity thinks about the hero and how the hero is so special and the only person who could ever save the world from this terrible thing. I don't think I need to tell you that the Chosen One trope is done to death, so the combination of three bad cliches is really too much for any book to handle.

If you have this in your book and you're looking for a way to replace it, I suggest using the 'storyteller' prologue. This can perform essentially the same function, but in a more interesting manner. Told from the perspective of someone who already knows what's happening, the storyteller prologue can sow hints, heap suspense, set the stage, and get the reader hyped for what's going to happen. How is this different than the deity prologue? Well firstly, deity prologues generally have a more dreamy, far-away feeling to them. A storyteller prologue is more direct, more blunt, and has more room for dramatic flair.

If your book book has a prologue and you've been 100% satisfied with it up until this moment, I don't know what to tell you. I never want to make you insecure in your writing style, but I do want to challenge you to view it from a new angle. Take a look at your prologue and decide what its purpose is. If you decide, like I did, that it's unnecessary, you don't even have to get rid of it altogether. But the beginning of your book is really important, so you've got to put your best foot forward.

Now I don't want to diss prologues entirely, so to help you understand what I think a good prologue is, I will give the example of The Face Thief by hiraethia. Of course, I can't post it here because stealing (duh), but if you'd like an example of something that got my heart pumping, sent shivers up my spine, and had me clicking the 'Read the next part' button so fast I almost broke my mouse, you can find it there. Her prologue is short and sweet, setting the stage for her story. It gives me a feel of what her style is, it gives me a sense of the book's mood, and it's deliciously, beautifully intense. 

*usual disclaimer about how this stuff is just my opinions and everybody should stay true to themselves but again I want you to challenge your story and look at it in a new light*

Last week, LunarsFantasies asked:

Would it be a bad idea to hide a secondary/main character's abilities from your audience?

I asked for wisdom and you did not fail me!

Element_Time says:

I think that it all depends of the plot of the story. If the plot revolves are the character keeping his/her ability secret, then I think it would be a good idea to let the readers in on the character's talent. Doing that the reader would feel, in my opinion, more attached to the character and understand his/her motives.

If the plot was setup in a way, say the main character didn't have abilities and was surrounded by the supporting cast who did have powers. Then at the end of the story, the main character finds out he/she has powers. I guess letting the reader in on the characters ability at the end would work.

readwritelove04 says:

No! It would be great to have your readers be surprised by the sudden plot twist. It would keep readers begging for more of your story. Your story can your story can also go many ways.

But make sure to slowly give away the information as if a secret. You don't want to dump it all in one chapter because it would kind of be boring then. When explaining about the magical try to slowly bring in the idea of the character having it.

armageddonpie says:

nope. Hide the abilities! Hide the rum! Hide the dark backstory!

AnnabethC says:

I say "You do you!" And yes, I know it's incredibly exhausting to hear that because you probably hear it all the time and it's probably the least helpful thing someone can say when you really want an opinion and you don't know what you does, but it's true! If you feel the story would be better if the audience didn't know something about your characters, go for it! If you think it will be important to the plot later on, reveal it to your readers. Personally, I like knowing everything that the main character does, that way I don't feel like I'm missing something. What if your character didn't even know they had some kind of ability? Pull a Hagrid and tell little Harry that he's a wizard! It really opens up the possibilities of the story, and it's a great way add in some awesome plot twists.

Again, I totally agree with this. I would definitely say that sounds epic, but there are a lot of things you gotta take into consideration, such as POV, whether your character knows they have powers or not, and how you hide the power. There are so many ways I could see this being incredible: if it's first person POV and you're dropping hints until the reveal at the end, if the character knows but every time it's mentioned it's very vague and mysterious so the reader doesn't really know what they're talking about until BAM OMG THEY HAVE POWERS WHAAT, if everyone has been accusing the character of having powers and the character denies it to the end but suddenly in the last sentence he/she summons a flame to flicker over his/her fingers... really, it sounds like an amazing idea. Just consider, as they said, how it affects your story either way and how to play it up to its full potential.

Element_Time asks:

When writing a fantasy story, is it better to keep the character's name long and then have a nickname, or keep it short and memorable?

We meet again, my friend! Hopefully, the fellow readers will have more great tips for you. 

"This is all my fault" syndrome.

I just. I can't. I cannot express how tired I am of this plague. Something goes wrong and the character's knee-jerk response is "This is my fault!", despite the fact that at times it gets totally ridiculous. A random village a hundred miles away from them is pillaged and burned by some madman that the MC's great-grandfather didn't kill when he had the chance and the MC thinks, "This is my fault." NO. In real life, people usually go out of the way to place the blame on somebody else. Guilt is fine! Just keep it realistic. 

For a nice twist on this, you could have something that the MC knows is their fault but keeps trying to blame on everybody else because they can't face the repercussions of their actions. See, isn't that much more realistic, character building, and relatable?

What does your MC talk about?

Dialogue is important. You can't just have a conversation about random things, I get that. This is more about understanding your character. If you observe the people around you, and yourself, you'll notice that, when offered the chance to talk about something that interests them, there's one or two topics that almost always pop up. Why? Because it's what they enjoy talking about. For myself, it's writing, and my Wattpad community. For my brother, it's Clash of Clans *eye roll*. For my mom, it's her work. It says something about us that, when asked to fill the silence, this is what we automatically reach for. It's almost a comfort food, but in topic form. Figuring out what your character's comfort topic is can help you decide what's most important to them, what their passions are, and what they find really interesting to talk about.

What if your character isn't really important at all?

Guys, seriously. I was gleeful when given the chance to thank the people who've put a smile on my face for months now, but I'm a bit concerned at the lack of nominations. Show some Wattpad spirit!

Anyways, my reader of the week is Maelstrom_Of_Fire, or Mae. Besides being an amazingly supportive reader, Mae has also helped me with editing on her own time which is so incredibly cool of her. Her tips are always helpful and supportive, and I love working with her and her zany, epic rhymes. Odds are, you've seen them around too, so you should definitely check out her poetry book on her profile. Give her a follow while you're at it, because she's an all-around epic person, even just to talk to.

I'm up far later than I meant to. Don't waste your weekend!

XOXOXO

Much love,

Nora