Oracle

lol, I posted this quite a while back. My plans and concepts for my series evolve quickly, so that piece is outdated.

I see your point thought. Dialogue is an easy way to catch the reader's attention. I'll definitely keep that in mind.

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bobothegoat

Hmm... Yeah, I didn't really like the opening you had Oracle. Of course that may just be because I feel like I've seen the words "How could he/she/I/we been so foolish" too many times. So the news that that excerpt is out-dated is good news.

You've got a good idea here, and I wish you luck with it.

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Bobo the Goat

TexasProud

It is often hard to read a prologue, but since you are famaliar with the fanstasy genre, then you are definitely famaliar with the TSR. Inc. line of books. Books that are in a series, or are a trilogy, most usually have prologues. This is very much needed to set up the "world" to a reader who has skipped a first book, or simply needs refreshed on an earlier book they have not read in awhile. If editors did not like prologues, then they would not have them in the finished release to the market. Take this into consideration. Often, without the prologue, you are going in.....blind.

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"You cannot reach them. We tried once, yes, precious. I tried once;
but you cannot reach them. Only shapes to see, perhaps, not to touch.
No precious! All dead."

Kajarow

I always start out with a prophecy, or describing how something bad might happen.

It works for me.

Keep Working.

-KAJAROW

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-Human Stupidity.

smart_chick2008

To begin a story, I sometimes start out with dialogue, sometimes a character doing something and just calling him/her "he" or "she" until there is a proper intro and adding in little tidbits of the scenery, or some sort of dream which acts as a sort of premonition (you can add the setting well in there too if you can think of a good dream).

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"I'm your shadow on the wall,
Walking one step behind you.
I'm the wind in your hair,
Whispering in your ear."

Oracle

Personally, I try to avoid premonitions, prophecies, and dreams, simply because they're just a cheap way to insert an info dump.

For the later books in the series, I'm thinking of inserting an author's note at the beginning to familiarize new readers with things they'll need to know, and I'll definitely recommend that they read the previous books first.

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