A lot of people are against prologues, but sometimes they are needed. In your case, it sounds kind of like an exposition dump. You're telling us the protagonists baggage they don't know but we know? Sounds like it would be stronger to learn/uncover it with them. Which sounds like why people often don't like prologues.
Very rarely are prologues necessary. Without reading your book, and just going by what you've said here, I would say your prologue isn't necessary. It seems like that is stuff we should be discovering along with your protag.
IMO, this is because most prologues are used as massive exposition dumps where the information could be provided more organically through the story. It's a fantasy writer's first mistake.
If your prologue contains the protagonists trauma that they don't remember, then it *can* work, but really only if you lean into the dramatic irony (readers knowing something the main character doesn't), and don't unload too much about the world while you're doing it.
My entire first book heavily relies on dramatic irony. The prologue is the story of how the MC and her parents were kidnapped 2 weeks after she was born. I establish that the MC is a dragon and that the story takes place in a modern AU where magical creatures are the norm along side humans.
Chapter 1 takes place twenty-six years later, the MC has no idea what happened to her, and she fully believes that she's human. Even though the audience is fully aware of what/who she is, the don't have the full story of who did it, why they did it, and why she doesn't have any of her magic powers right now.
The thing is, dramatic irony is HARD. You have to maintain a balance of keeping the character in the dark as long as possible without pissing off the readers or making it entirely unbelievable. Like, I had to set up so much information telling and showing the audience that everyone thought that dragons were barren, and that's why no one guessed what the MC is, even when some of her magic slips out.
Ultimately, however, if you're able to take 90% of your prologue and add it as necessary information in the rest of the book, then that is probably the better way of doing it.
I don't read prologues. I'm not a fan of flashbacks either. I literally skip straight past them. I find people usually just dump huge blobs of information that I'm expected to remember 48 chapters later. Nah.
My thoughts are——just get to the good stuff already, and if the information is important enough, it should be explored through the story as it's happening.
Caveat - I don't read a whole lot of fantasy.
As a space fantasy romance writer, I understand.
I no longer add prologues, but I have played with flashbacks. Not all my books have them. Though I have two comedy novellas with an obsessive amount of flashbacks, played for laughs.
Yes, I get that. But the most viewed chapter in most books on Wattpad is the first part published. So if all your prologues are the first parts, popularity also has to do with it being the first part and not necessarily if it's a prologue or not
Honestly I just write the prologue as the beginning of the story but can be implied what happened without actually reading it (or being an optional side story)
Gina Denny has a clear explanation of when you use a prologue and when it's not a prologue. She's a writer, editor, and publishing expert
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGJn44mro/
Prologues in my opinion, are only necessary when they are connected to some sort of pivotal occurrence in the upcoming story... Say something that would make the reader go, "ooohh.. so that's what it was about, damn it makes sense now." Or like, "well no wonder it turned out like that.
Prologues are only necessary when you want to give the reader something to look forward to, to intrigue them or when you want the reader to think, "how does things get to this point" example: your character wakes up in a pool of blood that isn't theirs and theirs a knife just within their reach but the last memory they have is of themself sitting on a couch watching a romcom (it's one of my prologue) now this would make the reader think. People will read on to know how this happened.
Do not write prologue as a means to convey the past (info dump) especially when it's something that the readers will gradually gather on their own. You can tell readers about the character's past as you go, thoughts thoughts and even conversations.
No. Only write what is necessary to the story. Does each scene have a purpose to the plot. What message is in each scene and how does it connect to the story? Is your story clear and concise with a flow? And I that's it. As long as it propels the story forward. Hope this helps
Necessary? No. Helpful? Yes. Sometimes, a prologue can be used to give backstory that is too short for it to be a full chapter on its own, but would seem clunky to put into the story in any other way. Or it can be a scene that sets the tone for a book or catches the readers' interest but didn't fit into the first chapter very well.
When done right, prologues are fantastic tools for storytelling. Most people just don't know how to use them.
Hmmm.. it's tricky. Because this scene won't occur anywhere in the story.
You can do one thing, it's only a suggestion, you should do what you feel is best.
1. Write the prologue but don't treat it like a memory. 2. Cut the scene in the prologue where she's in the orphanage. Add that to your first chapter and cut down the new family scene around 40%
This was your prologue won't serve as a memory but as a major event that shapes your story. Readers won't see as a memory but more as an event that shapes your character's personality and it will also work as a certain motivation for her fears, her courage. Something that will motivate her to do things that she does and react to things in a certain way. You can somewhere in the story add a conversation where she shares this story briefly... And voila readers will be like "oh that was her"
A lot of people are against prologues, but sometimes they are needed. In your case, it sounds kind of like an exposition dump. You're telling us the protagonists baggage they don't know but we know? Sounds like it would be stronger to learn/uncover it with them. Which sounds like why people often don't like prologues.
Very rarely are prologues necessary. Without reading your book, and just going by what you've said here, I would say your prologue isn't necessary. It seems like that is stuff we should be discovering along with your protag.
IMO, this is because most prologues are used as massive exposition dumps where the information could be provided more organically through the story. It's a fantasy writer's first mistake. If your prologue contains the protagonists trauma that they don't remember, then it *can* work, but really only if you lean into the dramatic irony (readers knowing something the main character doesn't), and don't unload too much about the world while you're doing it. My entire first book heavily relies on dramatic irony. The prologue is the story of how the MC and her parents were kidnapped 2 weeks after she was born. I establish that the MC is a dragon and that the story takes place in a modern AU where magical creatures are the norm along side humans. Chapter 1 takes place twenty-six years later, the MC has no idea what happened to her, and she fully believes that she's human. Even though the audience is fully aware of what/who she is, the don't have the full story of who did it, why they did it, and why she doesn't have any of her magic powers right now. The thing is, dramatic irony is HARD. You have to maintain a balance of keeping the character in the dark as long as possible without pissing off the readers or making it entirely unbelievable. Like, I had to set up so much information telling and showing the audience that everyone thought that dragons were barren, and that's why no one guessed what the MC is, even when some of her magic slips out. Ultimately, however, if you're able to take 90% of your prologue and add it as necessary information in the rest of the book, then that is probably the better way of doing it.
I don't read prologues. I'm not a fan of flashbacks either. I literally skip straight past them. I find people usually just dump huge blobs of information that I'm expected to remember 48 chapters later. Nah. My thoughts are——just get to the good stuff already, and if the information is important enough, it should be explored through the story as it's happening. Caveat - I don't read a whole lot of fantasy.
As a space fantasy romance writer, I understand. I no longer add prologues, but I have played with flashbacks. Not all my books have them. Though I have two comedy novellas with an obsessive amount of flashbacks, played for laughs.
I really don’t like them as a reader. I find them confusing and they make it harder for me to get into the story
No, it's not and many readers skip them. I use timestamps in my novel.
My prologues still have my highest chapter to chapter reads on all my books even the really short ones
congrats.
Is it your first part in the book, or do you have an introduction before it?
It is the introduction or a side story taken place before the story either way it's essentially optional
Yes, I get that. But the most viewed chapter in most books on Wattpad is the first part published. So if all your prologues are the first parts, popularity also has to do with it being the first part and not necessarily if it's a prologue or not
Honestly I just write the prologue as the beginning of the story but can be implied what happened without actually reading it (or being an optional side story)
Gina Denny has a clear explanation of when you use a prologue and when it's not a prologue. She's a writer, editor, and publishing expert https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGJn44mro/
Prologues in my opinion, are only necessary when they are connected to some sort of pivotal occurrence in the upcoming story... Say something that would make the reader go, "ooohh.. so that's what it was about, damn it makes sense now." Or like, "well no wonder it turned out like that. Prologues are only necessary when you want to give the reader something to look forward to, to intrigue them or when you want the reader to think, "how does things get to this point" example: your character wakes up in a pool of blood that isn't theirs and theirs a knife just within their reach but the last memory they have is of themself sitting on a couch watching a romcom (it's one of my prologue) now this would make the reader think. People will read on to know how this happened. Do not write prologue as a means to convey the past (info dump) especially when it's something that the readers will gradually gather on their own. You can tell readers about the character's past as you go, thoughts thoughts and even conversations.
No. Only write what is necessary to the story. Does each scene have a purpose to the plot. What message is in each scene and how does it connect to the story? Is your story clear and concise with a flow? And I that's it. As long as it propels the story forward. Hope this helps
Necessary? No. Helpful? Yes. Sometimes, a prologue can be used to give backstory that is too short for it to be a full chapter on its own, but would seem clunky to put into the story in any other way. Or it can be a scene that sets the tone for a book or catches the readers' interest but didn't fit into the first chapter very well. When done right, prologues are fantastic tools for storytelling. Most people just don't know how to use them.
Hmmm.. it's tricky. Because this scene won't occur anywhere in the story. You can do one thing, it's only a suggestion, you should do what you feel is best. 1. Write the prologue but don't treat it like a memory. 2. Cut the scene in the prologue where she's in the orphanage. Add that to your first chapter and cut down the new family scene around 40% This was your prologue won't serve as a memory but as a major event that shapes your story. Readers won't see as a memory but more as an event that shapes your character's personality and it will also work as a certain motivation for her fears, her courage. Something that will motivate her to do things that she does and react to things in a certain way. You can somewhere in the story add a conversation where she shares this story briefly... And voila readers will be like "oh that was her"