Laura asked our question for the Sisterhood of the Traveling Blog:
The Prologue: Love It or Hate It? Are there times when it's necessary to have a prologue?
I'm not a fan of prologues. I'm embarrassed to admit that as a reader, before I started writing again, I generally skipped the prologue. They often confused the issue for me, and sometimes ruined my enjoyment of the novel.
When I started studying how a novel is put together I discovered there are good reasons to have a prologue. If it's used right, it's a brilliant tool. It can set up the tone of the book, and it can give years of backstory in a page or two. I even wrote a couple, though I tried to disguise them as the first chapters of my novels.
Unfortunately, prologues are generally poorly designed, in my opinion. They give away too much, or they start with a minor character - or worse, with a non-character who never shows up again. Sometimes they're used to start at an exciting point in the story, and we-the-readers must go into the past for chapter one. (How I dislike that type!) Usually, the author could leave the prologue off altogether, and the work would be stronger without it.
Of course, some genres almost demand the use of a prologue, especially mysteries. And mysteries have made much more sense since I started reading the prologues. Imagine that! ;-)
What do you think of prologues? Do you like to read them, or do you ignore them? Do you use them in your own work?
You can visit Taliesin in my Etsy store at www.magicseeker.com,
Glowbug is fascinated with light bulbs. But when he tries to add them to his hoard they don’t light up anymore, and he’s getting frustrated.
You can see more of Glowbug at
You can see more of Robbie at Etsy:
Elegan had a long hard day stealing jewelry for her hoard, and now she’s settled into her bathtub to relax. She’s just blown out her candle, and she’s ready for a good long soak. Hoard enhancement is such hard work!
Donagal has found the perfect ornament for her Christmas tree. Unfortunately, it’s well attached to the pine cone, and she’s going to have a battle getting it off. But knowing Donagal, she’ll have it on her own tree in just a few minutes. She's an extremely stubborn dragon!
She started out as a devil's claw seedpod. I added a wired head, arms, and legs.
His body is a devil's claw seed pod, seen here covered in paint. Fabric paint, of all things, but it's a material I know well and enjoy working with.
His arms, legs, and wings are made of wire, and his wings are covered with a double layer of gauze. 
His eyes are faceted glass, and he's looking up in defiance. He's found something he wants, and no mere human is going to stop him.
