In a new post, Kristen Lamb says that before you attempt to use a prologue in your novel, you should take time to master the technique. Because they are so often misused, editors and agents hate prologues, and readers are prone to skipping them. If everyone hates them and no one reads them, why bother writing one? Lamb examines what’s good and bad about prologues.
- Prologues are used as information dumps. Instead of relating backstory and worldbuilding to your reader through a prologue, engage in some free-writing to get it out of your head. Use that writing as backdrop throughout your novel instead of dumping it before chapter one.
- Prologues are often disconnected from the main story. If you can cut your prologue without affecting your story, cut it.
- The prologue’s sole purpose is to hook the reader. No matter what you do with your prologue, you still need a great hook to open chapter one. And if readers skip your prologue, you’ve missed your chance to intrigue them.
- The prologue is too long. If your prologue is too long, you might have started your story in the wrong place. You might also be revealing too much information before the reader needs it.
- The prologue is written in a different voice from your narrative. This can be confusing and off-putting, and break the connection you want between the prologue and main story.
- Your prologue is mostly world-building. See above re: info dumping.
- The prologue is there only to set the mood. As with hooks, you have do accomplish this with your opening chapter anyway.
But Lamb wants us to know that prologues have their virtues, as well.
- Prologues can resolve a time gap with information critical to the story. Thrillers often use a prologue because your hero may encounter an old enemy in your novel, Lamb notes. Similarly, if a great crime or tragedy that occurred in the distant past is relevant to your novel’s present day, you might want to depict that scenario directly, rather than summarize it later. Ask yourself if your prologue is pivotal to understanding what happens in the present.
- Prologues can convey a critical backstory element. As an example, Lamb points to the first chapter of the first Harry Potter book, when Harry is delivered to the Dursleys. J.K. Rowling could have set this information aside as a prologue, and then used chapter one to jump forward in time to Harry’s 11th birthday. She didn’t, possibly because she’d been warned against prologues.
