Stag Party

How to Use Prologues, Part 11, Prologues and Epilogues

Rose January 29, 2023 no Comments

Image courtesy of Tumisu by way of Pixabay

Hi SErs! It’s a day of Harmony right here at Story Empire 🙂 Today, I’d like to speak about epilogues in relation to prologues. Here’s a hyperlink to the earlier publish on Recap of Tools.

What is an Epilogue?

An epilogue is sort of a prologue in that it provides to the principle narrative. The fundamental distinction is that an epilogue comes on the finish of the e-book relatively than the start. So, the place a prologue comes earlier than the principle story, an epilogue comes after all the opposite occasions have occurred. An epilogue can leap approach forward in time or solely an hour or a day or two. However, it MUST be linked to the occasions and characters your reader has turn out to be accustomed to all through the principle story. As with a prologue, solely use an epilogue if the knowledge doesn’t match inside the principle narrative … for instance: to introduce a brand new character or leap forward in time.

Does a Prologue require an epilogue?

The fast and straightforward reply right here isn’t any. The two are separate instruments and can be utilized independently, individually, or can bookend each other.

Why use an Epilogue?

To trace at a sequel.
To restrict the potential of a sequel.
Further advance the story to a satisfying decision.
Introduce a brand new however associated aspect of pressure (to arrange a sequel, as in level one however extra particular).

How to make use of an Epilogue:

Relate these new occasions to your fundamental story: First and foremost, it’s important to guarantee continuity. Otherwise, there isn’t any level in including an epilogue.
Keep it concise and related: The finish of your fundamental narrative could have been full of pressure and emotion of some type, and the very last thing you need is to depart your reader feeling as if they’re now wading by means of treacle, and–worse nonetheless–for no cause.
Epilogues and Afterwords: Whichever you employ, this last writing ought to present impact, have an effect on, and alter. In my e-book, FALLOUT, I used an epilogue to leap into the close to future to indicate how the characters had been dealing with the ‘fallout’ and all of the tumultuous adjustments they’d simply lived by means of. In this occasion, I introduced again one of many minor characters from the opening chapter as a method to convey closure for the principle character on the finish and to spherical out her character arc.

Summary: As with a prologue, an epilogue is barely wanted if the knowledge doesn’t match inside the principle narrative. Keep your epilogue concise and related. Evoke emotion (which kind will rely on your story and its style).

TOP TIP: When you write a great epilogue, and have a legitimate cause for utilizing one, it can improve your story relatively than detract from it.

Remember: There are NO hard-and-fast guidelines. You can do something you need, so long as you do it well and with good cause.

In my final publish, Paula Cappa had some great questions on epilogues, and I hope to have answered them on this publish. (Thanks on your pretty enter, Paula!) If I haven’t lined all these queries, or if any of you’ve extra questions, please let me know within the feedback, and I shall do my greatest to supply readability.

That’s it from me as we speak. I hope you’ve discovered this sequence of posts helpful. I’ll see you once more on Wednesday twenty second February, once we’ll shut up this sequence on prologues with a straightforward, at-a-glance abstract of the entire matter 🙂