It has come to my attention that I might be doing something wrong in my writing. Wait...no. Wrong may not be the word I'm looking for here. Let's call it an oversight. I think that works better. When I dive into a book, I flip over the copyright page and that message warning me that the story is only fiction, that if it resembles myself or anyone I know it is merely coincidental, blah, blah, blah. Yes, I'm embarrassed to admit this, but it's confessional time, so here it is: I only skim the dedication page and I feel horrible about it. What I never skip, however, are the prologues or prefaces. I just don't. I always thought that everyone read those. So, naturally, I like to begin my novels with a prologue. Not only do I use them, but I also place key points in them. My prologues are what I like to think of as the unveiling to my stories. The epilogue is where it comes full circle. We never skip the epilogue, right? Lately, I've had several people share with me that they skip the prologue; they just want to start the story. I recently had a reader message me and let me know that she sees Ben in a completely new light now that she has gone back and read the prologue. I was floored, to put it simply. I never knew that this was a common thing among readers. What I found even more shocking was when I shared my thoughts on this with a close friend of mine and SHE admitted that she hadn't read the prologue in Under the Orange Moon. My mouth fell open. I don't believe it closed again until she was out of my sight. So, now I'm finding myself rethinking my entire writing process and everything I thought I knew as an avid reader. My second book is in the hands of my editor and, you guessed it, there is a HUGE moment in the prologue that puts the entire story in motion. Do I change everything about myself as an author? Do I skip the prologue and just have Chapter One as a four page section? The OCD demon in me is saying NO, but the author in me is thinking maybe yes. I've also thought about putting a note on all of my blurbs that says "Dear reader, please read the prologue. You will be utterly lost if you don't." I'm not sure how I will fix this problem, but I can assure you that it will be fixed. I want my readers to understand my characters and their motives for everything they do; I want them to have the entire experience. What about you? What are your thoughts on the prologue? Do you read it? Do you skip it? Is this a larger group than I originally thought? How can I change this? You don't have to answer all of the questions, but I do want to hear your thoughts on this.