Prologue

by Adam Huddleston

This week’s literary term is: prologue. The prologue to a story is the opening scene (or scenes), that usually introduce the reader to the theme of the tale. They are told from a character’s point of view as opposed to that of the author. The prologue may play a key role in the plot of the story, or it may simply be used to familiarize the reader with one or more of the characters or setting.

An effective prologue should also grab the audience’s attention. Remember, this is the first thing they will encounter (sometimes as they’re standing in the book store deciding whether or not to make the purchase), and if it is dull, you run the risk of having them place the book back on the shelf and moving on.

Notable (but brief), prologues include: “Once upon a time” and “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.”

Happy writing!