What do you call... ?

[Rich.]

...a bit of introductory text at the beginning of a novel that isn't a quote or a prologue?

You know what I mean, when there's a page before chapter one with a bit of setup, a bit of worldbuilding, to the effect of:

In this world red is yellow, birds fly backwards, and morning TV is dedicated to the art of macramé. But all that was about to change.

It's not a prologue or an epigraph, and preface seems too academic for a novel. Does such a bit of text have a name? And if you were to include something like it in a novel manuscript, how would you format it?

 

[Carol Rose]

I don't think you need to call something that short anything in particular. Just place it before the Chapter One heading, on a separate page if you like.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

I think that most editors would stick a Prologue label on whatever preamble you wrote, though if it were of epigraph length it would be allowed to stand alone.

I'm really, really puzzled about advice on the use of prologues, as given by writing gurus. Some, including @AgentPete, say they shouldn't ever be used, and yet when I look at published books many of them have a prologue. Of the last 50 crime novels I've read only 10 didn't have a prologue. At the moment, I've got three crime novels on the go—Jussi Adler-Olssen's Redemption, Cara Hunter's Close to Home and Ace Atkins' The Sinners. The first two have prologues that are titled as such, while the opening of Atkins' story is effectively an exposition of a crime and arrest that occurred ten years before, and it's titled as Chapter 1—even though it feels like a prologue—it's printed in italics, which adds to the feeling.

I did this switcheroo with the first novel in my Cornish Detective series, in which a naked man is found on a storm-lashed beach in winter. The opening pages introduced the victim and a character who eventually becomes the love-interest of my detective protagonist, as well as the fierce landscape and weather of Cornwall—characters in their own right. Initially, I titled it as a prologue, as I thought it better to have the hero copper of my series appear at the beginning of the story proper, rather than turn up at the start of Chapter 2. I finally changed the prologue to Chapter 1, reasoning that if the novel ever gets commercially released, then the book publisher will have their own house style.

Who knows what the hell works? And, what do readers notice anyway? Stuff that we writers agonise over doesn't mean a thing to our adoring fans!

 

[Barbara]

Not the foggiest what it might be called. I think it may have a name in films, but not sure. If so, you could use that. (Don't the original Star Wars have it, in a galaxy far far away....)

And if you were to include something like it in a novel manuscript, how would you format it?

How about writing it like a poem? Not sure I'm making sense here ... erm, OK, woman, show, don't tell, so this is what I mean:

In this world,
red is yellow,
birds fly backwards,
morning TV is dedicated to the art of macramé.

But all that was about to change.


CHAPTER 1​

Or maybe give it it's own page?
Or you could add a time and day? You could have times and days instead of chapters, and tie it all together
Do your chapters have names? In wich case just give it a name. i.e.

IT IS WHAT IT IS

In this world
red is yellow,
birds fly backwards,
morning TV is dedicated to the art of macramé.
But all that was about to change.​

Page break

CRYING MOUNTAINS
(OR WHATEVER TITLE YOU WOULD CHOOSE FOR CHAPTER ONE)​

 

[Magicman]

The technical term is "front matter'. It would be an "epigraph" if it's a poem or quote (actual or fictional). It may be an "introduction/ prolegomenon" when it sets up the bulk of work (used more in non-fiction) or a "prologue".

 

[ChrisLewando]

As Paul says, a lot of published novels have prologues, despite the fact that it's apparently a no-no. It surely depends upon its value and context? I actually like a prologue. Am I unusual in this? A good one can provide an undercurrent of foreshadowing that hangs, waiting for its moment to be exposed during the novel.

If the prologue doesn't add anything pertinent, however, it's probably redundant, and the modern trend of taking an exciting bit from the middle of the novel and sticking it as the opening is abhorrent to me, especially when you come across the same piece of writing in context. I cane upon this recently, and it sadly smacked of a ruse to sell a book that didn't quite make the grade on its own. Shame on the publishers.

The trouble with trends is that is exactly what they are. In a year publishers might have done an about face regarding prologues. When I was younger I was informed by a publisher that children didn't like fantasy (I had written a children's story about a magician), then Harry Potter came out. So where did that piece of excellent insider advice originate? My kids loved fantasy. And when I submitted the same work to another publisher, ironically, I was told, in an irritated tone, they were inundated by Harry Potter clones...

 

[Rich.]

I don't think you need to call something that short anything in particular. Just place it before the Chapter One heading, on a separate page if you like.

Yeah, that was my initial thought as well.

I think that most editors would stick a Prologue label on whatever preamble you wrote

Yes, I think you might be right. I think what I'm talking about is a prologue (albeit a very short one that needn't be labelled as such).

(Don't the original Star Wars have it, in a galaxy far far away....)

That was a title crawl, which doesn' really translate to the page (unless we could have moving pages – that would be cool – I guess you could do it in an ebook).

...maybe give it it's own page?

Yes, I think so. Putting it on the same page as chapter one would, I reckon, make it look like an intro to that chapter instead of the whole book.

The technical term is "front matter'.

I have a feeling that front matter is everything that comes before the main text – title, copyright, contents, etc.

It may be a [...] "prolegomenon"

What a fantastic word! Always to be said aloud in a 1990s-Hollywood-trailer voice: "It was a time of WAR... It was a time of HEROES... It was the time... of the PROLEGOMENOOOOOOON!"

As Paul says, a lot of published novels have prologues, despite the fact that it's apparently a no-no. It surely depends upon its value and context?

I would imagine so, yes.

When I was younger I was informed by a publisher that children didn't like fantasy (I had written a children's story about a magician), then Harry Potter came out. [...] And when I submitted the same work to another publisher, ironically, I was told, in an irritated tone, they were inundated by Harry Potter clones...

What a bitter irony! Did you ever get it published?

--

So, in summary, I reckon the thing I was asking about is a short prologue that doesn't need to be labelled, and it sits on its own page before chapter one.

Cheers all!

 

[ChrisLewando]

Yeah, that was my initial thought as well.


Yes, I think you might be right. I think what I'm talking about is a prologue (albeit a very short one that needn't be labelled as such).


That was a title crawl, which doesn' really translate to the page (unless we could have moving pages – that would be cool – I guess you could do it in an ebook).


Yes, I think so. Putting it on the same page as chapter one would, I reckon, make it look like an intro to that chapter instead of the whole book.


I have a feeling that front matter is everything that comes before the main text – title, copyright, contents, etc.


What a fantastic word! Always to be said aloud in a 1990s-Hollywood-trailer voice: "It was a time of WAR... It was a time of HEROES... It was the time... of the PROLEGOMENOOOOOOON!"


I would imagine so, yes.


What a bitter irony! Did you ever get it published?

--

So, in summary, I reckon the thing I was asking about is a short prologue that doesn't need to be labelled, and it sits on its own page before chapter one.

Cheers all!

No, the kid's book was never published. Not good enough, in fact, though I wasn't aware of that at the time.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

Prelude or preface? One source suggests Chapter 0.

Prolegomenon = seems to be associated with non-fiction but is another all encompassing word for a range of approaches including a prelude, prologue, foreword or preface =Chapter 0? http://noop.nl/2015/02/how-to-create-book-front-back-matter.html

 

[Emurelda]

I've got that! My simple mind is buzzing.

Actually I have two...

On one page all by itself is a quote 'Because parkour is made for space'

On the next page is the definition of a 'Scenton'

Then I have a 'Warning poster' which is may not be included in the end. But I have no label for any of them! Just background noise.

 

[Rich.]

If you pick through the OED it all gets a bit circular:

prelude: 2.2 The introductory part of a poem or other literary work.

prologue: 1 A separate introductory section of a literary, dramatic, or musical work.

prolegomenon: A critical or discursive introduction to a book.

preface: 1 An introduction to a book, typically stating its subject, scope, or aims.

introduction: 3 A thing preliminary to something else, especially an explanatory section at the beginning of a book, report, or speech.

And so on. Isn't language great?

On one page all by itself is a quote 'Because parkour is made for space'

Ah, but a quote... I think we can nail that one:

epigraph: 2 A short quotation or saying at the beginning of a book or chapter, intended to suggest its theme.

It's a great quote, by the way, @Emurelda.

On the next page is the definition of a 'Scenton'

The New Oxford Style Manual (to which I don't have a link), would have this as a Note to the reader.

The 'Warning poster' sounds cool enough to be its own label.

--

No, the kid's book was never published. Not good enough, in fact, though I wasn't aware of that at the time.

I hope you didn't have to carry the pain of rejection for too long before you figured that out! (I've been in a similar situation myself – it was such a relief when I let it all go and moved on.)