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Hellooo everybody! Today we're talking about prologues. Those cute little intros at the
start of a novel that you may or may not skip over. From what I've noticed there tends to be
two schools of thought on prologues. On the one hand, there are writers who swear by prologues.
They think they're absolutely pivotal to stories, and they won't even read a book without one. And
then there are those who see a prologue, and just immediately skip over it. I don't condone
this behavior, it's not what you're supposed to do. But there's a reason that so many readers
skip prologues. It's because a lot of writers don't really understand the point of them. A lot
of prologues are really unnecessary, and really boring. So I'm here to tell you how to make your
prologue necessary, and not boring! First and foremost, what is the prologue? A prologue is
a mini-story that takes place before the start of your book, but still has a DIRECT effect on
the plot. Basically, some shit went down, maybe a year, or a decade, or a century before your
story even begins. But it's really important for whatever reason. Your entire plot hinges
on it. Now this is what a prologue is supposed to be. This is its definition. But there are a few
cases where you could bend the rules a bit, and create a prologue that doesn't necessarily fit
this description. Some of the exceptions include: Number One (1) - If you start the story with some
kind of document, an email, a contract. Say your story begins with the will of a dead grandpa,
or the letter of a long lost lover. These are legitimate reasons to include a prologue
that doesn't necessarily fit the rule. Just be careful that whatever document you're including,
isn't painfully dull. Number Two (2) - It's written from a point of view that you'll never
use again. This is usually the case if you're writing an event that occurs years before the
story even begins, but sometimes writers feel the need to include a prologue that
maybe doesn't take place years in advance, but is written from the protagonist’s mom's perspective,
or the best friend's perspective. And Number Three (3) - The prologue is actually the end of your
book. It's a glimpse into the future, and the rest of your book is essentially a flashback. Anywho,
those are the most obvious exceptions to the rule. Now, you should never assume that your book is
the exception, but it's good to know your options, just in case. So now you might be thinking, “Okay,
I know what a prologue is. I know the exceptions to the rule. I think I'm ready to get at it.”
Right? Wrong! A lot of writers are prologue-happy. They desperately want to write one, even if it
serves absolutely no purpose to the story. And they need to calm the fuck down. Before
you write that ever enticing prologue, you need to stop and ask yourself three questions. These
questions will help you determine whether or not you should write the hell out of that prologue,
or toss it to the curb. Number One (1): Is it necessary? People often ask me, am I required
to write a prologue? No. Should I look for a reason to include a prologue? No. Will my story
seem better or more professional if I just find a way to throw in a prologue? No, no, no! Stop it.
You should never include anything into a story, unless it's necessary. Especially a prologue.
Your prologue should be VITAL to the story. If the story can be told without it, then tell the story
without it. In my current manuscript, a powerful queen is assassinated eighteen years before the story
even begins. This assassination is pivotal to my story. So I absolutely needed a prologue.
Without it, there is no book. If you can't look at your prologue and say “But I need it!” then
delete it. Number Two (2): Is it interesting? Your prologue should be an event, not an info
dump. (Narrator voice) “1000 years ago, a tribe of people ventured across the land to do things that
made stuff happen.” If your prologue sounds like that, people aren't going to read it. No one wants
to be bored to tears at the start of your book. It's not a very good first impression. Instead
of telling the reader some long wordy history, why don't you show the history unfold. Make the events
happen. I've seen prologues that were just lengthy descriptions of laws and locations and the rules
of the land. On the flip side, I've seen prologues that were intense fights and negotiations. And
through these events, the author was able to illustrate the rules and the laws without it
reading like a textbook. There's usually a way to provide need-to-know information without going
into a laundry list of suckage. Number Three (3): Is it short? Back when I did manuscript critiques,
I received a prologue from an aspiring writer that was five chapters long. That's
not a prologue. That's a prequel. A prologue is there to give vital, need-to-know information,
not the entire history of whatever civilization you've created. Let me put it this way. If you're
feeling the need to fully develop characters that only show up in the prologue, you're
writing too much. A prologue is typically one to two events that somehow trigger the plot of your
novel. And one or two events shouldn't require a significant character development, or exposition,
or chapters and chapters of information. So how long should your prologue be? In my opinion,
whatever the length of your average chapter is, your prologue needs to be shorter than
that. Don't waste your readers' time, get to the point and make it juicy. So that's all I got for
you today. Prologues, can't live with them, can't live without them. Oh, wait. You CAN live without
them. So you don't need one. Don't write one. And if you do need one, make sure that it's brief,
engaging and necessary to the story. On that note, I just wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone
for the birthday wishes. I had a fantastic birthday. And that was largely because you
all were so sweet. Thank you so much. I wanted to give a quick shout out to my friends Kim Chance,
Chris Carlisle and Amy Barrett for making my birthday super special. Thank you so much. And
I also wanted to give a shout out to Desree and Melody from ‘Coffee Reading Writing’ for
the surprise birthday mug. Hold on, let's see. yes! ‘Writer, a person capable of transforming
caffeine into books. Introvert, masochist, wizard.’ That’s me! I love this shit. Lastly,
thank you to everyone who participated in the Eve: The Awakening photo challenge. There were so many
of you, and it was so awesome to see all of your submissions. I've already notified the winners and
they will each be receiving a signed copy of Eve: the Awakening. Anywho, don’t forget to subscribe
to my channel. I post new videos on Wednesdays. Eve: The Awakening is still available in ebook
and paperback on Amazon right now. So check it out. If you have any questions or if there's
something you'd like me to talk about in my next video, be sure to tweet me @JennaMoreci! Bye!