This is kind of a defeatist blog title, but seriously, sometimes I read stuff that just depresses me. If you follow my twitter, which you probably don’t because I have like 22 followers, you would have noticed a re-tweet of an article entitled, “The Worst Ways to Begin Your Novel: Advice from Literary Agents.” Article
Why is it EVERY freaking TIME I read one of these articles I find something else I’m doing wrong? WTF???
Here’s my latest faux pas:
Prologues
“I’m not a fan of prologues, preferring to find myself in the midst of a moving plot on page one rather than being kept outside of it, or eased into it.”
– Michelle Andelman, Regal Literary“Most agents hate prologues. Just make the first chapter relevant and well written.”
– Andrea Brown, Andrea Brown Literary Agency“Prologues are usually a lazy way to give back-story chunks to the reader and can be handled with more finesse throughout the story. Damn the prologue, full speed ahead!”
– Laurie McLean, Foreword Literary
Yet again – guess who started her novel with a Prologue??? ME! And it was a totally kick-ass Prologue. It’s meaningful and well written and it advances the plot (in a Tarantino the past is the now kind of way).
It’s Like Tarantino but the Lydia version – it’s Lyrantino
But now it’s got to go. Please observe a moment of silence for my Prologue. I will miss you. I will keep you in a document somewhere and maybe one day I can dig you up, dust you off, and show you to the world. But in the meantime baby, you need some time out of the spotlight. Sad, sad, sad.
That’s my Prologue – sitting the corner with Baby
The Writer's Wrong 
Hi Lydia, this sort of advice from literary agents is always useful but you can’t let it run your life. They are probably not going to accept your first novel anyway. Assume you are going to self-publish. So I tend to think that the most important things are to get a good story written, choose a catchy one or two word title and an eye-catching cover, make sure there are no typos or grammar mistakes – and this can be a lot of work – then put it on Amazon and get on with the next novel. Hey, but who cares what I think?
Thank you for the advice. I am seriously considering self-publishing, and I think it’s always good to keep that option in mind!
Don’t do it! If your prologue is good, and is relevant to the story, don’t abandon it. take a look at this article about prologues: http://www.foremostpress.com/authors/articles/prologue.html
That’s awesome! Thank you!
~Lydia
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