tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post4207614268276976982..comments2023-11-22T06:35:25.251-05:00Comments on POE'S DEADLY DAUGHTERS: Flashbacks, back story, and dream sequencesJulia Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10270211923343731659noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-21033302663139589832013-06-27T13:04:58.766-04:002013-06-27T13:04:58.766-04:00I've never used a prologue before, but have ch...I've never used a prologue before, but have chosen to use one in the novel I'm currently writing. Why? It's a scene set almost 25 years before the main story, and introduces the unsolved case that becomes central to the story. It will have the date above it as well.<br /><br />I didn't think having flashbacks during the main story would be as effective, and as for using it as Ruth Donaldhttp://redonald.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-52671200579022347162013-06-18T15:48:50.111-04:002013-06-18T15:48:50.111-04:00Hi everyone,
I think a prologue is acceptable if i...Hi everyone,<br />I think a prologue is acceptable if it relates something that took place much earlier and sets the stage for the rest of the book. That said, it might be better to dribble it out through reported thoughts and dialogue as the story moves forward.<br />I tend to use back story and flashbacks as breathers, but that's more important for thrillers. It wears on readers to have Steven M. Moorehttp://stevenmmoore.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-58577396677879251752013-06-18T12:55:17.892-04:002013-06-18T12:55:17.892-04:00I have a strong prejudice towards prologues. As a ...I have a strong prejudice towards prologues. As a matter of course, I always skip them.<br /><br />Sandra, you've hit on the real point: dreams and flashbacks have to move the story. Unfortunately, not all writers get that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-43425713230382909822013-06-18T10:26:56.611-04:002013-06-18T10:26:56.611-04:00Dreams and flashbacks are so tricky. Some readers ...Dreams and flashbacks are so tricky. Some readers hate them and think they should never be used, others enjoy them when used to move the story -- as I discovered with my first published novel. It's hard to write a story centered on buried memories without using brief flashbacks and bits of resurfacing memory.Sandra Parshallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17403144248962124138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-69531767910332368732013-06-18T08:14:15.397-04:002013-06-18T08:14:15.397-04:00On a writers loop recently there was an extended d...On a writers loop recently there was an extended discussion about the use of prologues, usually intended to introduce backstory information that the author thought was necessary. My impression was that the loop members were pretty evenly split about the value of a prologue. One regular comment was, if the information is so important to the story, why isn't it Chapter 1?<br /><br />I like Sheila Connollyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05165644581595919711noreply@blogger.com