Writing Prologue vs Synopsis, help needed

[Thiris]

I just started to write my second novel in here. And I'm struggling with synopsis and prologue. I got one comment saying that: The prologue seems a little weird BTW, like a second, too long and stilted, synopsis.

And I actually agree with the comment so I really want to fix it and write it better. My synopsis was rather long at first, so it was pretty similar with my prologue. I already changed my synopsis after that comment. So I just wanted to ask some opinions about my synopsis and prologue now. Is there still too much similarity and should I change them? Or would it be better to just make longer synopsis and ditch the prologue completely? Any tips are welcome!

Master of Minds, Master of Me

Born blessed by the God of Creation, Lorelia Helesantra was promised eternal happiness. Instead, she’s trapped inside a curse. An endless loop of death and rebirth, forced to relive the same two years over and over again. Desperate for salvation, Lorelia devotes herself to God, convinced that...

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[LiteraryWho]

Prologue is a bit of narration, set before the main story, often featuring characters which won't come into the story until later, or who didn't survive into the story, but had a big impact. If it sounds like a synopsis, you have a massively bad case of telling and not showing.

I haven't read either, and won't, but from the sound of this, you need to rewrite your prologue, doing so like a short story, with characters, dialogue, and action, and not summarizing anything where you can avoid it. Prologues and synopses should have no more in common than any other part of your story.

 

[KidBuu699]

Synopsis should be the general idea or theme of your story. It should introduce the main character and his/her world/quest/path. Whatever your "hook" for the story is should either be mentioned or hinted at in the Synopsis. Think of the synopsis as a sample to encourage someone to read the story. (Personal opinion: There shouldn't be any big spoilers in the synopsis. You shouldn't say what your mc achieves such as if its a One Piece fict it shouldn't say he becomes a warlord.)

A prologue is information that is needed in the beginning of the story. If their is something in your world that is different or special enough that needs to be mentioned early on that helps the reader make sense of what they are reading; then it should be mentioned here. If you don't have anything that needs to be explained then I don't see a point in a prologue.

For your story I think the Synopsis is good but your prologue just feels like a longer worded version of your synopsis. The prologue doesn't add any new information. Personally I would suggest getting rid of the prologue and not adding anymore to the synopsis,

 

[BEARHOUSE]

A synopsis is a scene-by-scene collection of a completed story. Think of the Plot tab in any given Wikipedia page about a novel, manga, series, film, or show. That's a synopsis - usually detailed once your series is completed.

A 'series description' should establish your MC, their situation (where they are or why), and what's at stake.

Prologues are not prerequisites - if you're writing a first-person narrative, you don't need one - but if you desire a prologue, then make it a non-perspective narrative. Having glanced your prologue, you might want to rewrite it with information on curses, the devils in your world, the realms, and the people (lifeforms etc.) SHOW some basic worldbuilding that establishes everything effecting your mc without your mc 'TELLING' us about it. Or you can have your MC do so in your opening chapter, thus negating a need for a prologue.

 

[Thiris]

A synopsis is a scene-by-scene collection of a completed story. Think of the Plot tab in any given Wikipedia page about a novel, manga, series, film, or show. That's a synopsis - usually detailed once your series is completed.

A 'series description' should establish your MC, their situation (where they are or why), and what's at stake.

Prologues are not prerequisites - if you're writing a first-person narrative, you don't need one - but if you desire a prologue, then make it a non-perspective narrative. Having glanced your prologue, you might want to rewrite it with information on curses, the devils in your world, the realms, and the people (lifeforms etc.) SHOW some basic worldbuilding that establishes everything effecting your mc without your mc 'TELLING' us about it. Or you can have your MC do so in your opening chapter, thus negating a need for a prologue.

I will probably delete the whole prologue. And I have started to adjust my chapters that all the information are going to come along with the chapters that is now in the prologue. Since this is a sequel, I feel like the world building is pretty unnecessary since it has already been done in the first novel. Or atleast I think so. ?

Thanks everyone for the tips. ❤

I will probably go to my first novel to adjust the synopsis and prologue there too, so they would match more. Giving more thought in them.