I went back and forth about whether to use The Magician’s Doll’s prologue.
The prologue was the first scene I wrote for the story, and the idea behind it was the basis for inspiration. I’m also a bit of a prologue person. Some of my favorite novels had one, and as long as it was done well, it helped the stories sing with resonance once its relevance was revealed.
It’s a tough call. Prologues are not always popular, and it is easy to see why; sometimes you just want to get straight to the story. I’ve heard it said that if you can leave the prologue out, and the story is still complete, you don’t need it. For that reason I did try leaving it out.
I don’t know, though. Somehow, I wasn’t happy with it gone. For me, the prologue gave that added oomph, that little bit of heft. I could be way off. I could be clinging to an idea that I should let go.
I decided to go with the gut. I liked the story better with it, so it stayed. I know not everyone will care for it, and I do understand. The good thing about prologues is you can skip them over if you like.
But you never know, you might miss out on something…;)