An editor suggested I include a brief prologue to my MS to add a tiny bit of information on what is going on without swamping the reader in the first chapters.
Immediately I tensed. For some reason this seems to be a bad idea to me. But when I thought about it for a longer time, I wasn't sure why I felt this way. Are prologues generally frowned upon? I don't like the idea of 'using up' my submission allowances with tiny prologues which may count as '1 chapter'...
Help!
A prologue has to add something to the story: to set the scene, or to illuminate a character, for instance - and it doesn't have to be chronologically earlier than the story itself. It could be of an event that happens outside the parameters of the story, to shine a light on how the characters got to where they are when the book opens. For instance, a novel set in the 20s could have as prologue an event from the War, which will have lasting consequences even though it may never be referred to directly again.
It could just be a trailer, or a taster of what's to come. If you are jumping straight into a world that your reader wouldn't understand, it can help to have that little introductory scene, however short, just to ease the way.
If the prologue then goes some way to explaining the story, it isn't detracting from the word count of your submission - it becomes an important part of it. Your editor obviously believes it will help, so maybe you should give it a try.