What's With the Prologues Already?

So ... I am wondering, What is it with writers who insist on using prologues? I believe, put quite simply, that a prologue is backstory. It is the information that the writer needs to know before he or she can write the book; it is, what he or she might believe to be, vital information the reader needs to know before getting into the story. A prologue can be either, neither or both of these things. However, there is one thing I can tell you with almost absolute certainty: it is not active! There is nothing happening. We are being told of events that have already taken place, which lead us to the point when the story actually begins. True, like with everything else, there are the exceptions to this. I have read a very very small number of books that start with a prologue and grip me from the first sentence. There are very few writers out there whom I believe are good enough to pull this off.

What usually happens is this: (Taken from current experience reading an author new to me) There is a prologue that feels somewhat detached from the main story. It gives us a lot of information, though nothing active, nothing that grabs us and gets our heart involved. Now, this heart involvement can come in many forms, from a pounding from suspense or fear, to a twittering from excitement, to a warmth from a feeling of romance or love. These are just some of the elements of a story that hook us and reel us in. So, this current book I am trying to read has not grabbed me. Now on the fourth chapter and nothing significant has happened yet, nothing is tugging. The summary on the book jacket made the story sound very compelling, very exciting. But so far there is nothing to suggest that there will be a decent pay-off at the end.

Don't ask which book I am talking about because I am not going to tell you. Sorry! Not trying to be mean to anyone here, so no names or titles will be mentioned.

I have a theory. Now, I might be way off with this but it's just a theory, it's just my opinion and personal observation. Prologues are a crutch. It's easier for a writer to get into the story and bring readers up to speed if they summarize a bunch of "important" information in the beginning. My feelings about this? If it's vital to the story, then it can be part of the story. If it's something important from the past of one or more of the characters, then it should be worked into the main body of the manuscript. Don't pull it off to the side like a sidebar or an endnote or something. If it's truly important then give it the respect it deserves. Is this easy? In most cases my guess would be no, it's not. Which is why we see prologues.

Here are some things to consider before using a prologue:

Is the information really important to the story?

Is it possible that you are starting the story too late?

Are there ways that this information could be incorporated into the main text so that it is more dramatic?

Example: In Red Dragon by Thomas Harris, there is some important backstory that we need to know about Francis Dolarhyde. Harris could have very easily put it all into a prologue. But had he done that it would have been boring because we had no reference point yet. Instead, after a few chapters he orchestrated a flashback (another device that needs to be used sparingly). What he has done is introduce us to the Tooth Fairy, this heartless and brutal killer of entire families, and make us curious about how he became what he is today. Once he had our attention, once we were on the edge of our seats reading with all the lights on, then he took us back in time. But he didn't TELL us anything, he SHOWED us. We got to see first hand how this poor little boy became a heartless killer. Harris makes us almost feel sorry for Francis. What Harris definitely succeeds in doing is showing us how Francis has justified his actions to himself.

Something I read once had to do with the shooting of movies. Each scene, even if there is no action at all, costs $35,000 to film. So a director needs to ask himself about every scene: is it worth $35,000? If not, cut it.

A similar question: Does this scene help the story? Does it move it forward? Or does it bring the action to a halt?

Bottom line: Time is just too short. There needs to be a pay-off in the immediate future to compel readers to read your story. Backstory is not compelling. Prologues (in almost every case) are not compelling. With a prologue, you have, more often than not, given your book two strikes. If your reader sticks it out and goes on to Chapter One, it had better be incredible, because otherwise it's strike three and you're out.

As I mentioned, like with every rule, there are exceptions. But if you're choosing to be one of those exceptions, make sure it's for the right reason and not because to NOT do it would be harder.

Red Dragon by Thomas Harris

A few weeks ago I was having a discussion with some good friends about suspense thrillers, specifically Red Dragon by Thomas Harris. As writers, we often find ourselves picking books apart, looking at them more critically than an average reader. Being a slow reader, I look closely at books that I am unable to put down, books that I finish in less than a week. For me, that's very fast. How envious I am of those of you out there who can read an entire book in a single read.



So, Red Dragon. For those of you who have read Silence of the Lambs (or even seen the movie), Red Dragon actually came first. It is in Red Dragon that we first meet Hannibal Lecter. Now, as a writer of suspense thrillers, I have found that Red Dragon is one of the most expertly written books out there. Thomas Harris didn't waste a single word with this book. From the first word of the first paragraph to the very last page, it is a display of absolute economy of words. If it's included between the two covers, then it is important to the story.

Let me show you what I mean. Here's an excerpt from the first page of Red Dragon:

Will Graham sat Crawford down at a picnic table between the house and the ocean and gave him a glass of iced tea.

Jack Crawford looked at the pleasant old house, salt-silvered wood in the clear light. "I should have caught you in Marathon when you got off work," he said. "You don't want to talk about it here."

"I don't want to talk about it anywhere, Jack. You've got to talk about it, so let's have it. Just don't get out any pictures. If you brought pictures, leave them in the briefcase--Molly and Willy will be home soon."

It's impossible to put this book down. And there is so much to learn from it: pacing, characterization, mood, setting, transition. No matter how many times I read the book I still find new things that impress me. Certainly, Red Dragon is a great book for one to emulate. Harris's mastery shines in this book. And while his other books are also worthy reads, Red Dragon, in my opinion, is his greatest achievement.

Let's look for a moment at the various characters he created in this book. First, we see Will Graham. Complete and well-rounded. He is one of the best profilers to ever come out of the FBI, complete with scars and baggage. Then we have Crawford. Graham's former boss at the bureau. He is, in the words of Molly Graham, "a damnably wise ape." He knows his job well enough to know that they need Graham.

Now for two of my favorites. Everyone, unless they have been living under a rock, knows of Hannibal Lecter. The diabolical killer, Hannibal the Cannibal. He is the villain that you love to hate. He's incredibly smart, yet he has that flaw which allows him to be caught by Graham -- he is insane. And then we have The Tooth Fairy. Francis Dolarhyde is a killer of families. But it isn't that simple. WHY he is a killer of families is so much more interesting to me. In fact, the why has always been more of what lured me into crime fiction to begin with. It is what keeps me excited and sitting at my desk day in and day out. So The Tooth Fairy kills families.

If you have ever seen the movies made from this book, first Manhunter (my favorite) and then Red Dragon, you will have seen a little of what I'm talking about. The movies touch on a little of what drives Francis Dolarhyde's homicidal tendencies. But if you read the book, which I strongly recommend that you do, you will have a much much better understanding of why he's such a troubled individual. We see more of the why. Does this justify his actions? Absolutely not. What it does is shows us that, in some twisted way, those actions ARE justified in the mind of the killer.

If you read only one book this summer, make it Red Dragon. And if you are a writer of suspense thrillers, buy two copies, one to read and keep on the shelf, and one to mark up and make notes in. Reading Red Dragon is the least expensive class you can take on writing thrillers.