What do prologues do

Instead of following the point of view of the rest of the narrative, you offer an alternative view of the situation or characters. It took the form of a statement, written by a fictional psychologist, about the ensuing text and the protagonist who purportedly wrote it.

Purpose : Set the stage for the story through the delivery of key information, or establish the mood and atmosphere of the narrative. Description : Boom! This is the In Medias Res prologue, my least favorite type of prologue and the only kind that will make me instantly put a book back on the shelf.

This kind of prologue presents the effect first, then backtracks in later chapters to explain the cause. Purpose : To inspire intense curiosity. Also sensation-focused narratives, like horror and erotica. But they can be an expert-level addition to your novel if you follow these five simple rules.

Some readers skip prologues altogether. This is the introduction to your story: use it to draw the reader in and make it impossible for them not to turn the page to Chapter One. A good prologue includes key information the reader needs to understand the story, is intriguing, and is an integral part of the storytelling structure.

A skippable prologue, on the other hand, lacks important information, is unengaging, and is not integral to the story. If your reader can skip the prologue and miss nothing, then it should be cut. Make these lines completely compelling. Of all types of prologue, this one is the most risky. The key is to create a balance between information and interest. You can do this by telling a simple story, plot-wise, which will demonstrate to the reader the mechanisms of the world.

Such a narrative would usually follow the lines of a "different POV" prologue, with emphasis on exposure rather than on intrigue. In Heinlein's Time Enough for Love, the body of the novel follows Lazarus Long as he recounts highlights from his three-thousand-year-long history. The prologue is written like a historian's preface to a published memoir, and analyzes the credibility of the events therein.

Along the way it explains how people have come to live so long, and how this had affected human society. It also gives background about Lazarus Long, which makes the reader look forward to meeting this character "face to face".

The preface is signed by the Chief Archivist of the Howard Foundation, which makes the reader feel as though he'd just burrowed a book from a future library. When the reader meets Lazarus in Chapter One, he knows roughly where he's standing, and he's free to concentrate on the chain of events. Worker's Guidelines Any workplace has a list of dos and don'ts; the prologue is no exception. Here are some: The prologue should always be an integral part of the novel, written in the same spirit and style.

Otherwise it's a personal preface rather than an opening chapter. The prologue should read like a short story in every aspect, except for its ending.

Rather than resolving all conflict, the end should leave the reader intrigued. Any conflict created in the prologue, however, must be resolved somewhere along the plot.

The prologue should start with a strong and intriguing hook as if it were the only beginning of the novel. This does not exempt Chapter One from beginning with an equally strong and intriguing hook. The prologue must stand out from the body of the novel in at least one fashion: the time of the events which should be stated both in the prologue and in the first chapter , the POV character, and so on. The reader should feel a distinct switch in his mind when he begins reading Chapter One.

And just as important, he should never experience the same switch again within the novel. For example, if the difference between the prologue and Chapter One is an interval of five years, you may not fast-forward time again within the novel.

The one exception is a novel wherein the point of view shifts between several characters, and the prologue is a "different POV" type. In this case, the switch between the prologue and Chapter One is bound to occur many times throughout the novel.

You can keep the prologue distinct by assigning it to someone outside the group of POV characters. Later on in the novel we may meet him once more, but never see things through his eyes again. The first beginning offers you a little pre-story or teaser called a prologue. This snippet might only be one paragraph, or it may encompass several pages.

For example, in Star Wars , the opening crawl prologue provides viewers with the conflict backstory for the fight of the rebels and the evil Galactic Empire.

Other important functions of a prologue include:. Explore the importance of a prologue by looking at several famous examples. From classics to modern stories , see how each works with the novel. In Romeo and Juliet , Shakespeare sets the stage for the viewers by telling us about the Capulets and the Montagues. Readers are prepared for a tragic love story. Come forward. Come in from the summer heat and the flies. Come in from that assault on all senses, that pummelling of rod and cone and drum and cilia.

Come in from the great spotlight of the sun, sweeping across the white sands, making everyone, and therefore no one, a star. Come inside and meet the prologue…. Catherynne takes a unique approach with her prologue. Business of Writing. Breaking In. Be Inspired. Writing Prompts. The Writer's Life. Writing Quotes. Vintage WD. From the Magazine. WD Competitions. Annual Competition. Self-Published Book. Self-Published Ebook. Popular Fiction. Personal Essay.

Short Short Story. From the Winners. Your Story. Write For Us. WD Podcasts. Meet the WD Team. Free Downloads. By Script Magazine. By Robert Lee Brewer.