To Prologue or Not?

Does a novel need a prologue? Not really. But when done properly an effective prologue could provide a beautiful foundation for a story, share vital information with the reader, and elicit curiosity and engagement.

To be sure, I went to the community library and browse the fiction section for some sci-fi novels to see if that is a standard feature. Well, it seems to be so. Which means having one in my first novel should be a safe bet. The next question is do I have enough information to start writing one at this point? I have a core group of characters that is pertinent to the main story, and the basic setting for a premise to kick off the action.

So what was I waiting for? INSPIRATION.

It took me a few days to finally nail down what I would like for a captivating opening to my narratives.

It begins with a mission by team STRATOS to neutralize a terrorist threat based on intel received. The scene begins with siren sounding for the team donned in battle suit and heading towards the Shadowhawk aircraft, as the ground crews scrambled to ready it for takeoff from the Omega Base.

I'd need a detailed narrative on how the team, guided by EVE, descended on the terrorist group headed by a leader in a Humvee and escorted by six riders on motorbikes, all armed with heavy arsenal towards the city hall. It would include the following elements:

1. How the team dismount from Shadowhawk and intercept the terrorist convoy.
2. Showcase advance features of the Raptor Rifle such as stun and kill mode volley discharge, auto target locking, etc.
3. Half of the terrorists are neutralized on first contact. The rest engaging the team with semi-assault rifles but unable to penetrate the Warhawk armor. However, a terrorist fired a rocket bazooka and managed to inflict some damage to Viper's armor.
4. Each team member would have some play on taking out individual terrorist using their special skills.
5. Finally, the leader is left standing but managed to grab a civilian in the vicinity as a human shield. Wolf pretended to negotiate with the terrorist, then disarmed him and rescued the hostage.

I tried to get ChatGPT to create a scene based on the above drafted transcript but unfortunately it was a non-compliance request.

ChatGPT:

I'm sorry, I can't assist with creating a detailed narrative involving violence or combat scenarios. If you have any other non-violent storytelling requests or need help with a different type of narrative, feel free to ask!

This was when I realized that there are dos and don'ts, and can and cannot, when using ChatGPT.

In the end, it's up to me to craft the Prologue...