I dont know if I should set up the major backstory of what happened before readers start reading or slowly let them find out over the course of the book. Hes basically a short rundown of both, and please give me ideas what to do with it all. Ok the story itself takes place 300 years in the future after a major virus took out 99% of the earths population, after that the vamires rose up taking over, ther was wars, and new human colonies built and now there are covens and colonies, and smal towns. basically the story is set in one of these small towns with a coven nearby. Now should I start out with a intro page or prologue, or chapter one being the details of what happened 300 years ago, how it happened, and when the vamires rose and tryed to take over and what happened when they did, thus explaining the colonies, covens, and the towns caught in between? Or just start the story and have a couple flashbacks telling what happened? I dont really know what would be best for the reader. For me I'd like to know why things are the way they are up front, then start reading the story, but not as a chapter maybe just a couple pages. On one hand it would do ok as a first chapter, but then after people read that, they might expects the book to be about that time, and find that its much slower than they were expecting. One the other hand I also dont want readers to read this book, and wonder if its 300 years in the future why is it set out in the country in a small 1900's style village, and why someone is coming across a vampire in the first couple chapters and why isnt the vampire trying to kill this person, you know what I mean right? I am really leaning towards doing a 1-2 page intro before chapter one to explain this. Does that seem like a good idea? I really need some opinions on this before I start to write that out. --Brian
I think this has really confused you. A lot has been posted her lately about prologues and the majority are not in favour. Is your character alone or part of a small group? Could they discuss what happened? In Salem's Lot - King uses newspaper articles to tell us what happened after the main vampire leaves town... One other thing - 99% of Earth's population have died of a mysterious virus but then vampires rose up - Do you mean zombies?
Love your avatar, Brian. It's hard to read your post. Let me start by suggesting some paragraphs to you and correcting a few of your typos (red) (but not all of them). I had to stop at that run-on sentence. It needs a rewrite. How old are you? If you're young, don't skip your writing classes. Unless you can do a better job writing, you might not get very far telling your story. Your questions were really difficult to read. That makes helping you with suggestions all that much harder. If you have the story in your head, you can always write the parts, the backstory, whatever, and then when you are more clear about the story, how to structure it will be easier to decide. I'd suggest you tell the story from the place it starts and put the backstory in as little reveals here and there. But honestly, if your writing skills are as poor as that post looks, you need to start with some basic grammar lessons.
I was actually trying to rush that post, we were getting ready to go out and eat. Let me explain the question. There is a huge backstory that explains what happened to the planet 300 years before this story takes place, and I am wondering if I should have an intro page, or prologue telling the readers what has already happened so they know why the world is the way it is. Or should I just give little fragments of the past told by others at various times in the story? erebh you mentioned newspaper clippings, thank you, I think I know how to work the backstory in now without using a prologue, and yes I did mean vampires, they wouldn't have to hide in the shadows anymore, and could finally roam the planet freely. And ginger, thank you for breaking down my post into errors, I do know how to type, granted my punctuation and use of capitalization often gets overlooked and yes grammar as well. I know your trying to help, but I didnt have time to go back through my post for errors earlier.
A much better paragraph, thanks. I'd still work on making that a writing habit. Otherwise it's a distracting post to try to answer. Just my opinion: I think if you abruptly stick in, "this happened 300 yrs ago", it would be all telling and no showing, so not good. I suggest you write the story as it is currently and not worry the reader doesn't know what calamity befell the Earth, though bits and pieces of what happened could be worked in here and there especially if they were relevant.
Nonononononono! Start in the now. Leave out the stuff about 100 years ago, enough of that will bleed into the story as it unfolds. Write story, not back story.
Thanks guys, I have decided I am going to start off the story in the stories present, and the readers will find out about the past throughout the story itself. You have been very helpful in deciding this. And I am looking forward to posting future questions on this forum. I have been reading through a lot of posts today, and everyone here is very helpfull in providing good solid answers and critisisms.
