What are the thoughts of readers on prologues? Do you like it when a story has one or not?
Prologues, yay or nay?
Well, depends...
Is more important to consider the function of the prologue to your story to see if it's gonna be good or not.
If you just put a prologue at the start because readers like prologues, but it doesn't really help the story, then it will be bad. The opposite is true too, removing a necessary prologue because readers tend to dislike them would also make the story worse.
Vam_V
I was planning to instead include a scene similar to a prologue but in-between the volumes. An interlude, if you will. But now I'm thinking maybe I should add both.
I was asking for opinions on it because a prologue is usually not from the MC's POV. Some readers would rather find out about the important events while reading the story, not beforehand.
Basically, any and all thoughts are appreciated.
There are a lot of varieties.
For me, if you do a prologue, it better be good, and it better pose enough questions about the story to make me read it. Otherwise it'll just ruin the story for me, and better just avoided.
- Edited
Selene97
I feel similarly about prologues. Most of the time, they are unnecessary and could have been removed from the story without any effect.
If you've read GRR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire; the prologue (or interlude) would be similar to its prologue. (The first book starts with a prologue.)
Incursio_07
Well, you can just ask yourself the following questions as a writer to know if it will be necessary:
1 - Is this information necessary for the reader to properly understand and experience the story?
2 - If yes, is this the best and most entertaining way of presenting this information?
I think if you have solid responses to these questions you will be able to tell if the prologue is necessary or not.
Hope it helped.