"The Moonstone" by Wilkie Collins. After reading these three sentences, I was instantly intrigued! How do you all perceive this? Any interpretations on this form of storytelling?

By trail-pale

So Collins starts things with a Prologue where the narrator basically says he’s going to set the record straight. As for the lines you quoted, I’m not sure what page they’re on, but he also does that whole “talking about writing” thing in *The Moonstone*, which was published first in 1868. In Chapter 3 he has this bit: “*The question of how I am to start the story properly I have tried to settle in two ways. First, by scratching my head, which led to nothing. Second, by consulting my daughter Penelope, which has resulted in an entirely new idea.*” Honestly, it makes me feel better that writer problems aren’t exactly brand-new.