A lot of people suggest not writing prologues. Just start at chapter one and be done with it. In fact, I recently heard an author saying many readers skip the prologue altogether. This horrified me. So whether to have a prologue or not have a prologue is a difficult decision. However, my book starts in the middle of the story. A prologue was necessary. Happily, this morning while writing with my online writing group, Write Squad with Jodi Gibson, some of the squaddies said they love a prologue. This made me happy.
The prologue for my book was the first part I wrote, in November of 2022. I wrote it to submit for a writing course at Faber Academy, and was selected to participate in the Narrative Non-Fiction Writing class in 2023. I hadn’t really thought about what I was going to write beyond the prologue. But the more of the book I wrote, the more woefully inadequate the prologue became. I realised how ‘on the surface’ my writing was, and the need to dig way deeper for a gripping and authentic opening.
I think I’ve tweaked and rewritten the prologue at least a hundred times, maybe more. The responsibility I feel about sharing the story to the very best of my ability has forced me to strip away anything untruthful. This is confronting when you get to the parts you really don’t want to admit to yourself, let alone the world, in print. But, the memoirs I read that pull me in are the ones written with complete honesty. These stories challenge my thinking. They show me something in a way I’ve never thought about it before. This forces me to question my thoughts, my opinions, and sometimes my ethics and morals.
So, today, with the help of my lovely writing wife, Amanda, and the squaddies, I’ve cracked the prologue. I’m happy with the first line, which is a miracle. First lines are important and I’ve had so many different ones. The overall action hasn’t really changed, but the way I’ve told it has. I spoke to several friends in order to really get the facts straight. A lot of which I’d forgotten, or had incorrect.
So, onward and upward with the editing, adding bits here, taking bits there. The hurdle that has been tripping me over is now overcome. I’m feeling motivated to get this thing finished.
NB. A writing wife is like a work wife. Amanda comes to bookish events with me, helps me with my writing, talks about books we’re reading, and is currently sitting next to me in the library, trying to distract me. There is no romantic insinuation in the title.
Kylie Eklund-Denman 