 Drama: December 07, 2022 Issue [#11689] |
This week: Why Write a Prologue? Edited by: Joy  
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“In the gray world above, I hear myself howling with laughter. Far below me, in the psychic abyss that is part of the Darkness, I hear another howling, one full of joy and pain, rage and celebration.
Not just another witch is coming, my foolish Sisters, but Witch”
Anne Bishop
“From the black ocean comes the appearance of light and waves. It helps you imagine birth. I want imagination in the photographs I take. It's like a prologue. You wonder, What's going on? You feel something is going to happen. “
Rinko Kawauchi
“The clown knows that life is cruel. The ancient jester's motley coloured costume turned his usually melancholy expression in to a joke. The clown is used to loss. Loss is his prologue. “
John Berger
“How many pages are there in my life?? I've read only a prologue.. But personally it's exciting already. “
Minzy, the Author
“Hamlet: Is this a prologue, or the posy of a ring? Ophelia: 'Tis brief, my lord. Hamlet: As woman's love.”
William Shakespeare
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Hello, I am Joy , this week's drama editor. This issue is about writing prologues.
Thank you for reading our newsletters and for supplying the editors with feedback and encouragement.
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Welcome to the Drama newsletter
A prologue Is a short introductory section, which gives background information about the world and the situation of the story to come. In other words, a prologue sets the stage for the story.
As far as fiction and prologues are concerned, my confession is that I have never written one. Still, prologues can be very useful in many cases and especially while introducing imaginary worlds or situations in some genres. Even Shakespeare knew of their importance as he wrote a sonnet-prologue to his Romeo and Juliet, in which he tells of the setting, theme, protagonists, and hints at what will happen inside the play.
https://www.playshakespeare.com/romeo-and-juliet/scenes/330-act-i-prologue
But Shakespeare wasn’t the only one to use a prologue either. The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer has a long prologue in verse on the theme of pilgrimage, people going on pilgrimage, and a few other other ideas.
“When April with his showers sweet with fruit
The drought of March has pierced unto the root
And bathed each vein with liquor that has power
To generate therein and sire the flower;”
Plus, even before Chaucer and Shakespeare, was the ancient Greek theater, using prologues extensively.
Yet, do the prologues belong only to the ancient times and Middle Ages? Surely not. In our time, too, many authors make use of them. A case in point, if you’ll recall, first on May 25, 1977, is the prologue of the Star Wars movie with a 360 degree slanted video. “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” Well, here it is:
Of the many prologues that have been written in our time, Michael Crichton’s treatment of it in the opening of Jurassic Park is a short story in itself that begins with: “The tropical rain fellin drenching sheets, hammering the corrugated roof the clinic building, roaring down the metal gutters, splashing on the ground in a torrent. Roberta Carter sighed, and stared out of the window. From the clinic, she could hardly see the beach…” Yet, before this short story/prologue, the author has written an introduction that begins with these words: “~The InGen Incident~ The late twentieth century has witnessed a scientific gold rush of astonishing proportions: the headlong and furious haste to commercialize genetic engineering…” This introduction, in my opinion, could as well be considered as the first prologue.
The word prologue comes from the Greek word prólogos, a compound of pro, “before” and lógos, “word.” Prologue as well the Preface and Foreword come before main body of the story. A foreword is written by someone other than the author as introduction to the text, more or less from an academic point of view. The preface that comes after that is written by the author of the story as he explains how the text was conceived and he expresses his gratitude to the people involved in its making.
Then, there is Tolkien who took the idea of the prologue to the extreme in an encyclopedic fashion as he divided it into five sections: Concerning Hobbits, Concerning Pipe-weed, Of the Ordering of the Shire, Of the Finding of the Ring, and Note on the Shire Records. This is a manual in itself, rather than a prologue.
Prologues are basically teasers, often written as expositions to give the readers a background for the story, set the scene as to the time and place, possibly introduce a character or two or maybe several, and show how things evolved into what the story will tell. In genre fiction, especially, a lot depends on the prologue. If readers cannot picture in their minds the time, place, or the details of an imagined world, how else could they get into the story right away!
William Shakespeare said, “What’s past is prologue.” In a way, he was right as the past can clue the reader in to what will happen in a story.
In short, a prologue is good for:
 introducing context (darkness, richness, humor) to the story-world
describing the story-world and significant background events
unifying story elements: in other words, bringing together the different sub-themes to highlight the main theme.
If you decide to write a prologue to a story you are planning, here are some points to consider.
 In what ways do the past events impact the story?
Which characters are worth introducing, at this point?
Would a single background event highlight the most important idea or event in the story?
Would introducing multiple characters and/or multiple viewpoints help to arouse the reader interest?
Can this prologue create interest and an element of mystery to make the reader want to read the story?
A caveat here: Don’t make your prologue more interesting and captivating that your first chapter.
Although most authors shun the prologue, it may be a good idea to write one before you start writing a fictional story. Even if you don’t publish the prologue, it could give you a direction and a few ideas as to how to proceed with your work more effectively.
May all your prologues enhance your stories!
Until next time! 
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This Issue's Tip: i find that Sci-fi and Fantasy genres do well with prologues. A prologue for such a novel, especially when it will be an epic, can combine dialogue, description and characterful interaction to illustrate context.
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Feedback for "Drama in Tough Spots and Desperations"
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brom21 
I found the last bullet point to be the most helpful. Regret and anguish are two powerful emotions. It reminds me of Anakin Skywalker killing Mace Windu and instantly saying "What have I done!" Of course, he ends up being Darth Vader so his regret was temporary and ungenuine. I truly got something from this! Thanks!
I am glad the editorial was of help to you. Thanks for the input.
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Aiva Raine 
I like ambiguous characters. I have the most fun writing characters who may on the surface be "bad" but show through actions and words that they're more than they seem. There are rarely people who are truly black or white. The majority of us are shades of grey on either side of the spectrum. I always wonder- exactly how much bad is irredeemable and how much good does it take to switch into sanctimonious or pious. Where is that line and if a character crosses it- are they forever stuck on that side of it?
Thanks for your input. I guess no character, in a story or real life, is bound to be stuck in one mode. People do change as do the characters. Sometimes, they even become the opposites of who they were. How the author handles this change is another story, though.
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