LTUE 2018 Prologues And Epilogues

Immortal works publishing.

Prologue

Are prologues a bad thing. They don’t always get read. New autors put them in because they feel they have to. Divides the reader from the plot story and characters.

Way of Kings has 3 prologues. Prelude. Prologue, and Chapter one.

Is it okay if people skip this? If that’s the case does it really need to be in the book.

Lots of early fantasy uses a prologue to shoehorn in worldbuilding that can’t fit anywhere else.

Game of Thrones has a powerful prologue. Robert Jordan - Eye of the World

The Name of the Wind - Prologue

Avoid Expository dumps. Feed the reader information without having to jam things in.

Epigraph can also do this job. - Ender’s Game

Can help you control the learning curve.

Epilogue

There is a little more to tie up than the story itself.

Show that people are moving are on.

Distinction between last chapter and epilogue.

Somethings are outside the arc. But they are still things you want the reader to know.

The jester waxing poetic. Give you a chance to talk about the story. Main arc is done. Can be used as a tool to heighten the tension for something that hasn’t been resolved.

Ease your way out.

In a series, use the epilogue to hook people for the next book.

Star Wars - Epilogue.
Castaway - Epilogue.

Not part of the main plot - But for catharsis.

It becomes not a cliche when you do it well.

Understand what the cost is. Eyeroll and increased learning curve. You are forcing the reader to work a little harder.

Brevity is a good compromise. Keep the prologue short.

Enter late and leave early. This applies to the prologue.

Steelheart - prologue.

Trope vs Cliche

Industry has shifted more to less and less recaps. You can expect the reader to google it.

Less is good when you are trying to recap.

Prologue can handle viewpoint and time changes in the first chapters of the book.

Prologue that is a scene from later in the book.

Breech Zone, Momento (movie)

James S.A. Corey - Caliban’s War - Leviathan Wakes

One event through multiple perspectives. Stormlight Archives - Prologues.

Horns - Joe Hill
Lock and Key - Comic book