Many writers feel the need to explain themselves before they start telling the story. A prologue could be used to explain the world you are in. A prologue could explain the tragic parent’s death, or the prophecy that will predict the hero’s return. The thing about prologues is that they are completely unnecessary, distracting to the reader, and, no one cares (yet).
The characters are new to the reader, and the world is too big to just explain to them. If I told you that the man you just walked past on the street had a mother who died of cancer when he was three, and that he grew up in beautiful meadow land in southern Europe where everyone knew each other and his father owned three cows and a sheep. You just don’t care about him, and you’ll nod and be polite, and say “that’s so sad” about his mom, and “aw, a sheep? That’s cute. Sounds like a lovely place” but you don’t care, because you don’t know him.
It’s so easy to get excited about the world you built. You want to share the map, and you want your reader to know about the mountain tribes in the north, and also the fishing villages on the island off the east coast. While it’s great that you know so much about the world your characters live in, and while this information might help your readers to understand the story more, the chance are that it is more likely to overwhelm them.
A good way to decide if this sort of prologue is necessary is to ask yourself: Can the reader understand what is going on without this prologue? Can I sprinkle this information in throughout the story in a more effective way? If you are only writing your prologue to pat your world building skills on the back, you don’t need that prologue.
Using a prologue to explain someone’s backstory is a waste of your time. First, you have to consider that people will skip the prologue. Second, everyone has a story. Real people, the people you interact with every day, they have a story from before you met them and they have a story after you leave them. When you meet someone new, you slowly learn about their history. They’ll tell you stories about their past overtime as they begin to trust you, and similarly, you will slowly begin to care more about their stories. Your readers need to develop this with your characters the same way. Let them care first, and then you can fill them in on why the character is a certain way.
To be clear, when I say “care”, I don’t mean they have to like a character. However, even unlikable characters can be interesting and complex and well written, and they will have a past as well.
If you are adding a prologue in order to create interest in the story, simply start somewhere more interesting. There is no rule saying you have to start your story at the beginning! Start at a part that will drag your reader in. You also have to consider that readers are very likely to skip the prologue, so you have to hook them in chapter one as well!
Keep in mind, a prologue can be a good addition to your story. If you want a prologue, go for it! A great prologue is one that is an introduction to the story. Before you decide to keep the prologue in the book, try removing it. Think: “Does the story still work without the prologue?” if the answer is yes, then you don’t need it.
Tip: That tip works with first chapters too.
Good luck and happy writing,
Marina Montenegro