Offer Prologue or Jump Right In?
Hello--I'm new to the group and eager to follow more of your discussion threads, so I'll throw one out: What do you think of the use of Prologue to begin a memoir? Is it tiresome and old-fashioned, or is it a smooth-riding vehicle to carry backstory to the reader? I'm in the editing stage of Next Stop, a memoir about letting go of my autistic adult son--forthcoming from Putnam in 2011-- and I'm taking a second look at my brief Prologue. Of course, it all depends on having a killer opening line, but perhaps it's bolder to open in-scene with Chapter One and trust your reader to catch up. Any thoughts here?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Melanie Sweeney on -
I like the contrasting tone prologue as well. Basically, anything that makes me feel connected to something about the story right away.
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Permalink Reply by Amy Risher on -
I'm team pro-prologue, especially to do with memoir. A prologue should gently throw your reader right into the guts that will be revealed throughout the book. To me, the prologue works best when it is a brief scene that stands on its own, that adds some subtext, but requires little. Some of my favorite prologues have lyrical merit, and still show exactly what the book will be unveiling. Think of it as an invitation into the life of the story?
In the case of Next Stop (and a huge congrats!) maybe a scene that looks into your son's childhood? From what you are saying, the book is about your adult son. Why not scope the lens to an interaction with your son as a small child. This, in scene, might introduce some of the beginnings of your journey together without needing much extra explanation of the conditions ? I'm punctuating with question marks because I might be way off base! lol. In any case, I'm excited to hear more as your work with Next Stop continues.
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Permalink Reply by Glen Finland on -
A quick note of thanks for these thoughtful comments from such close readers. BTW, they are right in line with what my editor is suggesting: open in-scene. It's much appreciated.
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Permalink Reply by Keetha DePriest Mosley on
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I may not be much help! I think it depends on so many factors. Prologues don't do much for me either way; I don't mind them or particularly love them. I've read some that are really well done but more often it seems like a gimmick.
So...it depends!
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