However, many writers argue against using a prologue as a way to dump a whole bunch of backstory, or past information, on the reader. Instead, the backstory in the prologue should feel essential to the rest of the novel and contain information that could not be placed anywhere else in the novel. A backstory heavy prologue should reveal the origin of the quest or mission in the novel and provide the reader with information about the past that leads up to the present action in the novel. This could be the history behind an event, like a war or a conflict, that is touched on in the novel or the history of a character who is important to the novel. [2] X Research source
A hook prologue could present a scene that introduces character and action that become very important in the novel. It could also foreshadow what is going to happen and allow your reader to briefly meet one of your characters or several of your characters.
This method can be effective if your novel is voice driven and dominated by one narrator or one to two narrators. Writers will use prologues this way if they feel they need to let the reader know why the story is being told.
This type of prologue gives you the opportunity to use a point of view that is not used much or at all in the rest of the novel. It also prevents you from violating your POV later in the novel, as you have already addressed the one character’s point of view in your prologue.
Think about how the prologue is going to enhance your novel and feel integral to the story. Will it reveal character, setting, or point of view? Will it provide backstory or frame the rest of the novel in a particular way? If you are writing a prologue for a completed book, you should also think about how the prologue will interact with your first chapter. The prologue should hook your reader in and be just as strong as the details and scenes in your first chapter, if not better. The prologue should not regurgitate details in the first chapter or feel redundant in any way, as this will likely lead to a boring and dry prologue.
Use the five senses to make the scene come alive for the reader, with a focus on what the scene smells like, feels like, sounds like, and of course, how it looks. Have your character interact with these elements in the scene and use your character as a way for your reader to access the scene.
Avoid hopping around in time a lot in your prologue, as this can make the prologue feel confusing or jumpy to the reader. Try to stay in one time period or within one to two time periods so the prologue does not become too long.
If you are using the prologue as a way to access a character that does not appear again in the novel or only appears as a minor character, use the prologue to really explore the character’s perspective. This is your opportunity to show the reader more about the character and delve into what makes the character tick.
One way to check the pace of the prologue is to read it out loud to yourself or to someone else. Mark any run on sentences or awkward moments in the draft and work them over until they sound smooth and to the point.
Your prologue should be strong enough to stand on its own, separate from the novel. It should almost read like a short story, with a contained story line and a conflict. However, unlike a short story, the ending of your prologue should remain open. It can introduce a conflict that will be resolved or addressed later in the novel, leaving the reader wanting more.
