Tuesday, August 12, 2008

The Endless Prologue Debate

Countdown to the big move: 3 Days

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Prologues. Some books have 'em, some books don't. And until I joined AbsoluteWrite Watercooler, I never realized there was such a debate about them. That people could get so worked up over whether or not to include them, whether or not they read them, and if they really serve any purpose to the story being told.

I'm not going to argue pros and cons of prologues, reading or writing. They exist. Deal with it.

It just struck me hard today--a thread over on AW had to be moderated, because some of the members were getting...um...heated. And a little rude to each other. Over something as silly as whether or not to include a prologue.

Do what works for your story. If you think it needs a prologue, write it. You can always take it out later, if it turns out you don't. Worry about what readers might think after you've finished the novel, polished it to a shine, got an agent, and sold it to a publishing house.

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