There's loads of debate about prologues in books. Some authors swear by them and others hate them. I've seen readers & reviewers split both ways as well. My thoughts are: If the story needs it, write it. Plain and simple, eh? I look at a Prologue as 'an introduction', a way to give information one can't get any other way, or that doesn't fit where the story begins.
So in keeping with that thought, this Blog Prologue will be short and sweet. Hopefully. I'm a Southern US gal, born, bred, and raised, so few things are 'short' when it comes to me writing or talking about writing. I've been a writer since I first took crayon in hand and scribbled on my mom's white tile kitchen floor. This did not turn out well for me, as the Owner/Publisher of said floor did not appreciate my unsolicited efforts. The rejection of that effort didn't stop me from writing, however.
The best part of prologues, to me, is they aren't 'information dumps'. Many authors mistake their prologues or first chapters as a place to dump all their hard work with research and characters. That's not what a prologue is, at least not to me. I'll do a rant in a later post about 'info dumps' and how much I hate them, all my opinion personal preference. A Prologue sets the stage. And this Stage is for Dreamers, for Readers, for Writers, for Believers. Y'all don't want to hear me rattle on for ages about my life here because, like any good story, the 'good stuff' is woven into the plot and forth coming chapters.
That's an exercise for you aspiring writers, or for those who are blocked or stuck and have a character suddenly fall silent. Write The Prologue of Your Life. But it can NOT be an info dump. I could say, I'm Mia, I grew up in such and such place, attended such and such school, married who, had x number of children, am a technology challenged person who needs help with social media, posting, finding fangirl pictures and simply figuring out the icons on a Word Document, and had this event and that event happen to me. That's NOT my Prologue. That's an info dump.
My Personal Prologue would be:
I'm a writer. I've always been a writer. I need to write as much as I need to breathe. It's not an easy path, and it never will be. But it's the one I need in my Life. I write a bit of everything and have numerous characters who suddenly become very loud and insistent on their voice and story being heard. I also am opinionated (imagine that) and tend to rant a bit at things that tick me off, strike me in a personal way or make my own voice need to be heard. There will be guest bloggers here and lots of pictures and fun. There will be times of seriousness and times of laughter. There will be loads of drool when a certain group of writer friends post personal picture favorites. There will be comments from my Gold Team, a group of friends who are my family. There are people from all corners of the world in my circle and I'm blessed to know each one.
So let's start off on this Blogger Path together.
See the difference?
So Welcome to my Blog. Grab some coffee, some chocolate and come stay a while.
So in keeping with that thought, this Blog Prologue will be short and sweet. Hopefully. I'm a Southern US gal, born, bred, and raised, so few things are 'short' when it comes to me writing or talking about writing. I've been a writer since I first took crayon in hand and scribbled on my mom's white tile kitchen floor. This did not turn out well for me, as the Owner/Publisher of said floor did not appreciate my unsolicited efforts. The rejection of that effort didn't stop me from writing, however.
The best part of prologues, to me, is they aren't 'information dumps'. Many authors mistake their prologues or first chapters as a place to dump all their hard work with research and characters. That's not what a prologue is, at least not to me. I'll do a rant in a later post about 'info dumps' and how much I hate them, all my opinion personal preference. A Prologue sets the stage. And this Stage is for Dreamers, for Readers, for Writers, for Believers. Y'all don't want to hear me rattle on for ages about my life here because, like any good story, the 'good stuff' is woven into the plot and forth coming chapters.
That's an exercise for you aspiring writers, or for those who are blocked or stuck and have a character suddenly fall silent. Write The Prologue of Your Life. But it can NOT be an info dump. I could say, I'm Mia, I grew up in such and such place, attended such and such school, married who, had x number of children, am a technology challenged person who needs help with social media, posting, finding fangirl pictures and simply figuring out the icons on a Word Document, and had this event and that event happen to me. That's NOT my Prologue. That's an info dump.
My Personal Prologue would be:
I'm a writer. I've always been a writer. I need to write as much as I need to breathe. It's not an easy path, and it never will be. But it's the one I need in my Life. I write a bit of everything and have numerous characters who suddenly become very loud and insistent on their voice and story being heard. I also am opinionated (imagine that) and tend to rant a bit at things that tick me off, strike me in a personal way or make my own voice need to be heard. There will be guest bloggers here and lots of pictures and fun. There will be times of seriousness and times of laughter. There will be loads of drool when a certain group of writer friends post personal picture favorites. There will be comments from my Gold Team, a group of friends who are my family. There are people from all corners of the world in my circle and I'm blessed to know each one.
So let's start off on this Blogger Path together.
See the difference?
So Welcome to my Blog. Grab some coffee, some chocolate and come stay a while.
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