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Q&A Can you make multiple prologues in one book?

Is it possible? sure. It is your novel, so structure it as you will. Is it wise? probably not. Prologues are theives which steal from their creators. They steal the backstory and motivations wh...

posted 8y ago by Henry Taylor‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T05:23:30Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/23628
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar Henry Taylor‭ · 2019-12-08T05:23:30Z (almost 5 years ago)
Is it possible? sure. It is your novel, so structure it as you will.

Is it wise? probably not.

Prologues are theives which steal from their creators. They steal the backstory and motivations which defines who your characters are; leaving you, the author, with nothing except your characters' future actions to build your story with.

It is very hard to write a prologue about a main character, without giving the coming story away. The historical facts which you choose to share, subtly inform the reader of what parts of all of a world's history is important to this particular story. The particular character details which you share, let the reader know what the character is likely to do, and which personal demons they will have to slay along the way. No matter how carefully you craft a prologue, you are likely to give away more than you desire.

Keep that precious backstory hidden. Save it for the slow moments between the action, when your characters might naturally reflect on their past and how it relates to their current adventures. Don't reveal your characters' pains and dreams before the reader has even met them. Allow time for the reader to learn to love them, before telling more about who they are.

For me, the proper quantity of prologues for any novel, is none.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2016-06-29T04:36:25Z (over 8 years ago)
Original score: 7