Should I put the story within a story as a massive prologue?

[jeffjohns]

I legit have a really cool idea. I want to write a story about a group of characters that go on an adventure inspired by a story they read. I’ve written the story they follow which is 18k words. I want to know where the best place to put the story is.

I was thinking of having it be part one.

[Matthew Brown]

It depends on how the inner story affects the outer one. If the inner story is simply there for reader information, put it at the back in an appendix (if you include it at all).

If the events of the inner story play out directly in the outer one, it might work as “part one”. As a reader, I would be looking for the characters of the short, or the events of the short to show signs of having really happened.

TL;DR: Pick the one that works for the story.

[Matthew Brown]

Or go real-world/franchise and release the inner story as a separate book.

I just thought of that one.

[Christian Writer]

Are there any times when a big prologue is good?

[Matthew Brown]

Yes, sometimes a prologue is a good idea. It is hard to do well. This is why I generally advise against them.

A prologue needs to set up a second promise that you will deliver on in addition to the promise you set up in chapter one.

[Author]

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