Weighing the prologues and conlogues
Hey Gang,
One of the most important questions an author can ask themselves is: “Should I include a prologue or not?” Yes, this is more important than “What is my story about” or “Who are the main characters” or even “Why are you building a bookshelf when you’re supposed to be writing.”
Surprisingly, many readers skip prologues. They feel it doesn’t add anything to the story and is just a waste of time. I find this bizarre to be honest. Just because it may not contain the main character doesn’t mean it’s not important to the story. I read everything, prologues, epilogues, and even the stuff in-between. While the -logues may not contain the main characters, they are still important to world building and context.
I often wonder if these same monsters skip over the intro scene in Star Wars and go straight to Luke on Tatooine.
How about you? Do you read prologues or are you a psychopath? No judgement.
Project Updates
The first novella is coming along nicely. My first chapter (probably going to turn that into a prologue, just out of spite) came in at over three thousand words. So far the second is under that, but too many more long chapters and I’ll end up breaking out of the novella constraints.
Names are starting to form, characters are taking shape, and planets are being created. I didn’t do a ton of worldbuilding ahead of time, but I do have a vauge concept of the universe these stories are set in. The wordbuilding is more or less in real time.
Books I’ve Read
Since last we spoke, I have read a few books. Feel free to read them at your leisure, should you desire. Did I like them or hate them? I’m not telling.
Cozy Up To Death
Colin Conway
An Atlas of Extinct Countries
Gideon Defoe
Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone
Benjamin Stevenson
Five Broken Blades
Mai Corland
The Man of Bronze
Kenneth Robeson
You’d Look Better As a Ghost
Joanna Wallace
Thanks For Reading
I’m not sure what my newsletter schedule will be yet. Probably either monthly or fortnightly, or maybe just whever I have something to say. We can rule out daily.
Your pal,
Scott
