The Bootcamp Mentors have hosted many workshops over the years, and we have included them all in this book. Consider this another ongoing resource from your friends here at BCM.
Prologue - a separate introductory section of a literary or musical work; an event or action that leads to another event or situation.
The prologue introduces important information, such as background details or characters which have some connection to the main story, but whose relevance is not immediately obvious. There is much debate around prologues. While they aren't inherently evil or indicative of poor writing—prologues can and have been executed with skill—are they really necessary?
To Prologue or Not to Prologue
The first pages of our book are some of the most critical. We need to stick to one timeline long enough to hook readers into the story and allow them to get grounded and care. If we bounce backward, introducing cast members in a timeline and setting that might only make that one appearance, readers could get bored and put the book down. You need to ask yourself, can this information be conveyed in chapter one? Or, perhaps, be sprinkled throughout the first few chapters?
Prologues That Work
Boom! There it is: Prologues that throw the reader into the action have the best chance of hooking them. Maybe it's the center of a bloody battlefield, or twisted in the sheets of an illicit love affair. Whatever it is, the reader is plunked into the action in a world they're unfamiliar with and whose characters they don't yet know (and love).
One Shot POV: Is it narrated from a character's perspective who doesn't have a POV in the story? For example, the antagonist's POV can provide background and motives that either humanizes the character or exposes their evil intentions.
Foreshadowing: Introducing a significant past or future event, thereby creating suspense for the reader and prompting them to ask questions. Here, you might convey, in as few words as possible, a religion, a technology, or a philosophy within the protagonist's world that is critical to the reader's comprehension.
📌 PRO TIP: Prologues can kill a perfectly good story. Before you create a prologue, ask yourself this: Why is it important to reveal this information up front? Can it be revealed throughout the story in small trickles and still be impactful without the use of flashbacks or loads of backstory?
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