I might have broken A Rule
Gasp. I know. There are no rules, only things the author does or doesn’t make work, right?
So I’ve been unhappy with the opening of DG3 for quite a while now. I couldn’t find the balance between the reader saying “OMG, what’s going on, I HAVE to know!” and the reader saying “Who are these people and why the hell should I care they’re sneaking around some guy’s house?”.
Last night a prologue popped into my head. As a rule I don’t care for prologues, but I couldn’t resist writing it. And I love it.
What’s the problem?
The prologue is actually part of the scene leading up to the climax, which makes pretty much all of Act 2 a flashback. Chapter One would have a subheading of Three weeks earlier (or some such thing—timelines make my hair hurt). That’s so…iffy.
I’m sure Devlin Group readers won’t be surprised to know Gallagher’s not coloring within the lines.
October 24th, 2007 at 9:35 am
Hey, the whole idea is to use whatever tools or techniques tell the story most effectively. If prolog followed by 3 weeks earlier does it, go with it! If it doesn’t work, you can always try something else.
October 24th, 2007 at 6:01 pm
It sounds very Alias-y. Or Mission Impossible-y, though since that was JJ Abrams, it’s Alias-y.
Whatever. You think it works, so it works. :)
October 24th, 2007 at 6:23 pm
I don’t care if there’s a prologue. I don’t care if it’s three weeks earlier. I don’t care if Gallagher is colouring outside of the lines (as long as he’s doing something with minimal clothes I’m good! LOL) . All I care about is that it’s been forEVER since I’ve had a DG book to read.
October 24th, 2007 at 11:36 pm
If it doesn’t work, you can always try something else.
Words like that make me nervous. They imply serious rewriting.
I’ve never seen Alias and I don’t really remember the beginning of MI, but I do know it’s more of a screenplay technique than a romance novel one.
And
Michelle! It hasn’t been THAT long! 