SEAN PATRICK O MORDHA

A potential author complained that the rules and structures applied to writing hinder or ruin their work, and damn the torpedoes, prologue ahead. In response:

Write any way you want, just remember, if your goal is to have the manuscript published, the playing field belongs to the publisher and the game is run by their rules. The only way around that is to self-publish, either by book form or eBook, then trying to sell it to the public.

It doesn't matter whether you call the beginning of your novel Chapter 1 or Prologue, if it doesn't capture the reader's desire to continue into the story, you've lost them and all your effort has been self-appeasement. Yes, I see quite a few prologues, even by established writers, and they are a waste of good paper.

I look at a manuscript - mine or some else's - with these points in mind:
1) Does the opening grab my interest? (1st paragraph or at least 1st page)
2) Does the action carry me through?
3) Do I care about the characters?

There are lots of opinions on how to answer those questions. It's always good to know how other authors approach them, then pick and chose your flavor.