tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post6411929269845628431..comments2024-03-14T18:09:09.667-05:00Comments on Do Some Damage: The Frame that Holds the ArtUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-2289631518785000772009-09-07T11:37:38.449-05:002009-09-07T11:37:38.449-05:00Also worth mentioning that Russel's book THE G...Also worth mentioning that Russel's book THE GOOD SON has the very kind of prologue that I couldn't manage. His works a treat and adds suspence to the story. <br /><br />The best Matt Scudder, too, was told using a framing device.<br /><br />But it's always the bad examples that stick in my mind, the type that John has already outlined.Jay Stringerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08764183157841848163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-63861530495475982432009-09-07T10:22:12.665-05:002009-09-07T10:22:12.665-05:00I have a tough time with prologues. I just read Lo...I have a tough time with prologues. I just read Louis L'Amour's <i>The Last of His Breed</i> and it started with a prologue that was a kind of hook - but I was already committed to reading the book and I didn't need more of a hook, I just wanted the book to start.<br /><br />I don't usually like those prologues in italics that show you things the narrator could never see or tell you things in a murky way like, "The man in the raincoat walked quickly away from subway," when we could just be told, "Max Smith walked away from the subway." Surely the writer knows who's doing the walking. It feels like trying too hard to make things mysterious.<br /><br />Now, having said that, the Louis L'Amour prologue didn't stop me from reading the book and I can remember at least one Rebus novel that Ian Rankin started with a prologue and I read that book. <br /><br />So, prologues can't stop me, no matter how hard they try ;)John McFetridgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09442198820998606682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-6620915517038349362009-09-07T10:17:59.631-05:002009-09-07T10:17:59.631-05:00Agreed. I don't where the current prejudice ag...Agreed. I don't where the current prejudice against prologues came from. They can set the frame, as in HEART OF DARKNESS or SHUTTER ISLAND. They can also provide a glimpse into the period or a character that will allow something in Chapter One to make more sense right away, or to provide anticipation of how someone is going to respond to something.<br /><br />They need to be used judiciously, but a prologue definitely does not serve the same function as Chapter One.Dana Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01350344882342624735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-39682157497165050452009-09-07T05:53:06.727-05:002009-09-07T05:53:06.727-05:00Good question.
It must be down to the writer and...Good question. <br /><br />It must be down to the writer and the story. If it's a story that needs the frame, and a writer that can make it work, go for it.<br /><br />Your prologue works, and hooks in the reader. I persevered with one for a long time, but had to be honest with myself. My story didn't suit one, and my charachter hated it. It was only there to cover the fact that the first chapter sucked, and there was nothing in my prologue that couldn't be revealed more naturally later on.<br /><br />Saying that, the manuscript does have a 'sorta prologue' there is a quick tease of something.<br /><br />So I reckon folks should just be honest with themselves and go with what works. Whatever that may be.Jay Stringerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08764183157841848163noreply@blogger.com