James, twenty years old. He stood in front of Jackson, eyes burning.
"No!" he shouted. "I won't do it!"
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The Prologue, AKA, how to start a story when you don't know how to. There's nothing wrong with them if they're done well. Which, as any reader on Wattpad knows, they often aren't.
Problem one, they're almost always clunky. As in my example above, characters are stated by name only, instead of by character traits. They're thrown together in scenes that don't matter to us because we don't care about them. Not yet at least.
Instead, try to introduce them with a certain trait or feature. If you use a name, add onto it.
Ex.) [James, the man with a devil's grin. He loped towards his butler, emerald eyes flashing with madness. Lean muscle contracted, slamming his gloved hand onto the desk.
"I don't want a g*d*mned baby," he snarled. "Leave it there."]
Another problem, they're usually lazy. In fantasy, they tell the prophecy of why Mary Sue is so special, in Sci Fi, they tell about why the earth is ending, in Dystopia, it tells of the great war that tore apart the earth, yada yada yada. If you open with something like that, try starting with characters instead, focus on your cast, they drive your story.
(AN: Censored swear because children might read, no need to comment on it.)
KAMU SEDANG MEMBACA
Common Mistakes
AcakAs a critic, I see a lot of mistakes. Here are some common ones, and how to avoid them.
