December 8, 2011

Prologue or Chapter One? What Have You Heard

This continues to be one of the most controversial topics in writing a novel. I have heard as many experts claim prologues are out as not. Some say make it Chapter One. As many others say if it’s separated in time, make it a Prologue.

This was brought to mind when an efriend, Judith Marshall over at LinkedIn posted that her recent conference declared it solved: No more prologues. I shared that at MY latest conference (granted, it’s from the distant past of September 2011), qualified presenters claimed it was up to the writer.

I’d like to hear what you’ve heard: Prologue or Chapter One? Take a quick vote. Let’s see what the consensus is from around the world. Then We’ll all know the truth:


Jacqui Murray is the editor of a technology curriculum for K-fifth grade and creator of two technology training books for middle school. She is the author of Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy midshipman. She is webmaster for five blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, IMS tech expert, and a weekly contributor to Write Anything and Technology in Education. Currently, she’s seeking representation for a techno-thriller that she just finished. Any ideas? Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.

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