Prologue advice request

Arthur-67

Active member
Joined
Jul 8, 2021
Messages
11
Points
43
Hi all, quick favour to ask if that's okay. Ive heard some feedback about my prologue pretty much -weakest point/ not needed/ people get enough info from the story/ turns people away before they get to enjoy the story.
Would anyone be willing to give it a read and maybe a 1-2 chapters past that and just let me know if they think i should delete it or not. Im trying to get a general consensus on it. Thank you.
 

LostLibrarian

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 27, 2019
Messages
709
Points
133
I agree. It feels like a massive info-dump. You have two points in there:
(a) character introduction
(b) world building info-dump

Everything in (b) doesn't need to be in a prologue but can be told in the story itself. And for the few lines you do for (a): "Becoming an adventurer for one born completely average was not an easy task, but Rohl was not so easily deterred, which put him in his current predicament." The first sentence of the first chapter already tells me 90% of the important stuff in (a).

Right now, the prologue reads like a bit of waste, though that is just me. It doesn't really builds the main character, it doesn't set the atmosphere of the story (in fact, the narrations feels off to me), and it doesn't introduce one central main theme you are working towards to.

To me, a prologue should be used to either introduce the topic/theme of the novel in a way you can't do in the story itself, or to give information that the readers otherwise will only get way too late. In your case, both aren't really done. Besides a generic "there are dungeons" (which I already get from your tags), there isn't any information worth remembering outside the stuff you tell once more directly afterwards.


So yeah, to me, it isn't needed and should either be written or just deleted.
Though I've also seen enough novels have success with a prologue like this...
 
Joined
Sep 2, 2020
Messages
119
Points
83
Hi all, quick favour to ask if that's okay. Ive heard some feedback about my prologue pretty much -weakest point/ not needed/ people get enough info from the story/ turns people away before they get to enjoy the story.
Would anyone be willing to give it a read and maybe a 1-2 chapters past that and just let me know if they think i should delete it or not. Im trying to get a general consensus on it. Thank you.
Prologue can be something happen in the past or something will happen in the future, it can be from an entirely different timeline
 
Last edited:

KoyukiMegumi

Kitty
Joined
Jun 11, 2021
Messages
1,201
Points
153
Fun fact: Most stories do fine without a prologue. Most readers prefer learning the world slowly than just getting it upfront in the beginning. :blob_melt:


I haven't read it but this is true.~
 

KiraMinoru

Untitled Generic Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2020
Messages
473
Points
133
Personally, I feel when prologues are done right, they’re great. It could start out in a rather precarious and tense scene that will come up later on and leave you dying to know how the character got into that predicament. It cuts off right when you want to know most what’s about to happen and makes you excited to read to find out how you got there and what will happen.
 

Arthur-67

Active member
Joined
Jul 8, 2021
Messages
11
Points
43
Thank you all for your advice, i have decided to delete it, I've kept a save of it just in case i ever decide to edit it and try again.
 
Top