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Often I blog about using interesting methods to develop murder plots, and sometimes murder mystery writers use a prologue to set up their story – possibly with an actual murder scene or with a scene that gives valuable information to help the reader understand the victim or villain.  But are these preambles to the real story necessary?

Some literary experts even question whether the prologue is actually part of the novel. And, if it’s not, then why use it? Does a prologue even begin the novel or is it simply background to be read as a separate piece – or even ignored?

It’s generally said that many readers actually skip a prologue because so many writers misuse prologues. Hints that a writer may be misusing a prologue as a true literary device include the following:

If the only purpose of your prologue is to excite and “hook” the reader, then it’s a misuse of this tool. There must be a proper “hook” at the beginning of your first chapter (where many readers actually start reading your book) in order to interest the reader.

If your prologue has nothing to do with the main story plot, then your prologue is a waste of words. If you can cut the prologue from your story and that action does not affect the story arc or its outcome, then it’s not necessary and should be deleted during your edits.

If your prologue is long, then maybe the prologue is simply masquerading as your first chapter. Prologues, when they’re considered necessary, should be short and to the point.

If your prologue becomes an “info dump”, then I suggest taking a course in plot development. Before beginning the story, the writer must first envision the beginning, the middle and the ending of the story in broad strokes to understand the overall plot development. A writer must keep track of key details in the plot and slowly let them unfold. Dumping massive amounts of background at once is never a good idea. When it’s disguised as a prologue, it confuses, disorients and frustrates readers before they have a chance to become invested in your story.

If your prologue is there to set the mood or give reference to the story setting, then it’s unnecessary. Why is that? Because you’ll have to set the mood of the story in your first chapter anyway, and then have to continually build the characters’ worlds as the characters are introduced. Therefore, such a prologue is redundant and a waste of words. The information that sets the mood and introduces your characters should be unfolded only as needed to anchor the reader with the information required to move your story forward.

So now you may question if there is ever a need for a prologue or if it’s a thing of the past to be avoided like a literary plague.

Genre has a lot to do with whether you use a prologue in your writing. Thrillers and mysteries are specific genres where a prologue might work well. If your protagonist is to do battle with an old enemy, a prologue might set the stage for the thrilling chase about to evolve. Or if your protagonist is to solve a crime that’s linked to some past action, a prologue might be necessary to provide valuable information regarding those past events.

The key in either of these situations is to keep the prologue brief and to the point. Reveal too much too soon or go into too much detail and your reader won’t be intrigued enough to continue reading.

Thoughts? Comments? I’d love to hear them!

Staying organized has many advantages in terms of having more time for yourself and family; in terms of saving money; peace of mind, better health, balanced life and improved professional/Social life.

Below are some considerations on how to be more Organized and consequently get the benefits mentioned above.

How to stay organized?

1.     Use files or folders to place all your Personal documents. Segregate your documents and place different kind of documents in different files. For example utility bills, educational documents and purchase receipts to be placed in three different files. If you want you can scan (or take a picture from your mobile) and put it in your email for quick reference. Make sure your password is safe! Advantage: Saves time and avoid stress to find the relevant document. 

2.    Differentiate between urgent and important tasks. Important tasks sooner or later will come out to be either very fruitful (if you have given them proper attention) or would be a complete disaster (if you have avoided them). Advantage: Attending Urgent tasks in timely manner will ensure healthy outcome in terms of family, personal, financial or professional life. You may want to read my article.  

3.    You need to closely observe your Time steals  the routine tasks which takes away a lot of time but do not produce real good results should be optimized. Advantage: You will have more control on your time and arrange it for family self matters.

4.    Place your things at right locations. Allocate proper drawers, boxes, cabinets, Files, balcony for accessories. Advantage: you don't have to waste your time when you need something.

5.    Google Calendar is a great service which sends you email and SMS for any event which you store in your online Calendar. You can set reminders for next car service, tires replacement, remembering birthdays anniversaries and so on. Advantage: you will save money by avoiding disasters (car malfunctioning etc), you will have healthy family relations (birthdays etc) 

6.    Make a to-do list. Maintain it on daily/weekly basis. Use 'post-it' notes for shopping list. Advantage: Critical tasks will not be missed. Unnecessary market revisits will be avoided. 

7.    If you are Muslim, your Prayers timings can make you punctual and give you the convenience to organize a lot of events in-between two prayers. You can become a role model for others by being organized this way.

I am fortune to have met some really nice folks on social media. To do my fair shared I am going to feature some of my friends from Twitter and Goodreads on my blog. Some of them may not be authors but “Social Media” gurus or Bloggers. So without further ado, please take a minute of your time and read a little bit about Paul Hollis, author of “Hollow Man”. Paul’s Amazon Author Page and Twitter link are below as well. A terrorist’s plot, the assassination of a prime minister, holds the key to an apocalyptic plot to destroy Europe’s economy. It’s impossible to stop, but one man doesn’t know enough to think the world can’t be saved. He’s no hero; not clever or capable, talented or tested. The Hollow Man is just trying to survive in an uncertain climate where terrorism is changing the rules of how we live. The Hollow Man is a field analyst assigned to learn the new tactics of terror while trying to keep disaster from U.S. borders. If he fails and lets that happen, he lets down a world of people who didn’t even know he exists. Confronting his own demons along with soldiers of this new world, he is young, untrained and ill-prepared for what he finds. Based on true events, a young man running from Vietnam finds himself in another kind of war. A new war of terror is spreading across Europe. As a naive field analyst for a U.S. government agency, he is assigned to babysit the unpopular Prime Minister of Spain, Luis Carrero Blanco. It’s easy duty for a young unskilled analyst. But the quick assassination of Blanco by the ruthless terrorist, Chaban, sets off a chase across Spain and France to stop him before he can complete his plan to destroy the economy of Europe. Haunted by one of Chaban’s previous murder victims, a twelve year old girl, the analyst battles ruthless assassins and his own personal demons in a vicious struggle to save 5,000 innocent lives from becoming collateral damage in the terrorist’s psychotic plot. Disowned by the American government, no one can help him except Zita, MI6 agent and lover. They follow the trail from Madrid to Paris always a step behind.Paul Hollis grew up during a time when the notion of a shrinking world was still in its infancy. People lived in rural communities or in city neighborhoods, rarely venturing far beyond the bordered rim of their lives. But as a kid, Paul tumbled off the edge of the yard reaching for greener grass. Having lived in twelve states and eventually working in all fifty, he fell in love early with seeing the world on someone else's money. Since then, he has lived abroad nine years while working in forty-eight countries, spanning five continents. These experiences helped inspire the novels in The Hollow Man series. From traveling through Europe as a young man, to flying nearly three million miles which took him nowhere near home, to teaching companies worldwide about coming global implications, as a world tourist Paul Hollis brings his own unique viewpoint to his mesmerizing thrillers. Paul has a dual BA in English literature and psychology from the University of Illinois. In addition to having worked for IBM and others in worldwide physical and video security, he is an active member of International Thriller Writers and the St. Louis Writers Guild, as well as an international conference speaker. The link to Paul’s Amazon Author Page is: http://www.amazon.com/Paul-Hollis/e/B00J5NPABM/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1404845148&sr=1-2-ent Find him on Twitter: @HollowManSeries

I recently attended the RomCon in Denver. The cost of travelling, accommodations, registration, food reached to nearly $2,500. Was it worth it?

So far, I’d have to say in monetary return – no. That is, unless the connections I made translates into a sudden burst of sales at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Not likely.

In terms of a useful experience, maybe. The speakers ranged from terrible to great. The organization of the event could have been better. The accommodation was poor (I froze in some of the lecture rooms and my room flooded from a leak in the ceiling, etc.) Did I have fun? I’ll explain later. Did I learn anything? Not as much as I hoped.

What was good:

1. I met some amazing authors
   • Barbara Vey, http://barbaravey.com/aboutbarbara/
   • Cherry Adair, http://cherryadair.com/
   • Rebecca Grace, http://www.rebeccagrace.com/index.html
   • Jennifer Zane, http://jenniferzane.com/  http://jenniferzane.com/cover-design/
   • Marsha West, http://www.marsharwest.com/
   • Debra Holland, http://drdebraholland.com/
2. Excellent presentations on character development, plot workshop, cover design workshop, the value of independent publishing, and writing sex scenes.
3. Entertainment: My favorite event was the Mimosa Madness. Authors participated in a social event wherein participants had to complete a bingo-like card. The fun in finding the author to match the description on the card made way for a crazy and zany hour of getting to know everyone. The prizes were terrific. And the mimosa, yummy!
4. Facility (Crown Plaza Airport): food was tasty and served quickly

What could have been better:

1. Speakers should stay on topic(some speakers strayed off topic half the time)
2. Speakers should allow time for questions
3. Audio / visual equipment in working order
4. Sound system improvement (echos distract and make comprehension difficult)
5. Ensure lecture room temperatures are comfortable
6. Improve registration – ensure registrants are greeted upon arrival and understand procedures (I arrived Thursday early evening but no one had info or handouts; the next morning the registration felt chaotic)
7. The book signing event could have been two evenings instead of one short event.

One of my favorite memories:

I met Kasi and Jerrie Alexander, fellow authors published by Omnific Publishing

The worst:

My main goal was to gain insight into marketing techniques. Lo and behold, that was the worst lecture. The author talked about her experience with online dating service. I waited for the real meat and potatoes on marketing. It never came. Ugh!

The second biggest disappointment was attending the “Birds of a Feather Reader Chat & Book Giveaway.” When I entered the room and discovered piles of books on each chair, I felt overwhelmed with the generosity. This event was led by a rep from the Book Reading Gals. Casual is good but being sloppily dressed in front of your guests is an insult. After a USA chant (not being American, I felt out of place, again), the rep began to mention book titles and author names. Her favorite expression was ‘OMG’ or ‘Oh my God,’ but I don’t recall hearing why any of the books rated the ‘OMG’. This went on for the entire hour as she strutted within the circle of attendees. The attendees were mature people and deserved more than ‘OMG.’

Did I have fun? I did until the insult.

During an event someone pointed to me and told the room full of people that I was from Canada. She turned her back to me, then made a statement ending in ‘eh.’ Everyone thought it was humorous, except me. Until that point I felt just one of the many people enjoying the day. After that, I felt like an outsider and disrespected.

I’m attending one more writer’s convention this year. It’s the When Words Collide in Calgary, Alberta, August 8-10. The cost will be small as it’s only a short drive from home and a bunch of us authors are sharing the cost. Finger crossed this event will prove to be worth it.Life of a Writer