A good prologue that captures attention is what any writer needs to get readers. The rest of course is also important, but those initial pages are key to making a good first impression.
The prologue works as a sample of what is to come in the rest of the pages. It is like a first (and important) contact with the story, since it serves to introduce the characters, the action and also the author, and to do so in a way that creates expectations and excitement to read the rest.
Therefore, although not all writers include a prologue in their books, our advice is that you do. It is an infallible tool to connect with those who read you.
If you don't know how to do it, read this article in which we share tips on how to write a prologue that captures the reader's attention.Top Fiction Ghostwriters for Hire can write across a wide range of genres and formats, from fiction and non-fiction to academic, business, and technical content.
How to Write a Prologue That Captures the Reader's Attention: Tips and Tricks?
While we'd love to dive right into tips for writing an attention-grabbing prologue, it's first important to define what a prologue is and what its function is. Without fully understanding these concepts, it will be difficult to write one, or at least one that serves your purpose.
The definition and purpose of the prologue in literature
As we have mentioned, the prologue acts as an important introduction to your book. It works as a kind of opening chapter that presents the plot in general or specific aspects of it (such as the historical or cultural context in which the story is set).
It can be written by the author, who uses the prologue to introduce the plot or explain what led him to write, or also by a different person (for example, the editor or a literary critic, something very common when we are dealing with a classic work or from a deceased author).
Although prologues appear in almost any narrative work, it is essential that they are present in non-fiction works. Thus, essays or biographies are always prefaced (normally by a person who is not the author but is equally an expert or reference on the topic being discussed).
What is the purpose of the prologue?
It is important that the prologue captures attention by "introducing" the work, but it also has other purposes, such as offering a unique and specific insight into the writing process, the author's life, or the context.
Another use of the prologue is to apologize or anticipate possible complaints. If you are going to write a book that may be controversial or for which you have based it on real events, you may want to use this resource to clarify what your intention is and defend it against possible attacks. This is something that classical authors did to protect their works and avoid censorship. An example of this is the prologue of La Celestine, in which Fernando de Rojas, to escape the Inquisition, assures that the purpose of the drama is to warn of the dangers of a forbidden romance outside of religion.
How to use the prologue to introduce the theme and tone of the book?
Luckily escaping the Inquisition is no longer a reason to write a prologue, and if you incorporate one into your book, you will most likely do so to introduce the theme and writing style. What is the best way to do this? These are our tips and tricks:
• Choose the narrator of the prologue: it may be you as the author, but you may also want a character to introduce the story. For example, you can use the resource of Azzarello de Tomes, that of the protagonist explaining the story that is going to be told.
• Give it unity: the prologue cannot be separated from the book, although it must maintain a certain independence. To do this, make sure you write a good introduction. This should not reveal too much of the main idea but present the action in a way that makes you want to continue reading. Think of the prologue as a rope that you want the reader to grab onto and then pull and immerse them in the story.
• Be brief: for a prologue to capture attention, it must be the perfect length to be dynamic and not boring.
How to use the prologue to establish an emotional connection with the reader?
Especially if you are a new writer, the prologue can be a great resource to connect with the reader. Keep in mind that the person who reads your first book will not know you before, an advantage that classic authors do have.
When you write the prologue, try to generate trust and empathy. That emotional connection can be established with you as the author (for example, telling what led you to write or self-publish your book, if applicable) or with a character (introducing their voice, their story or how they feel). It is also recommended that you introduce what the message of the work is, what it can contribute to the reader and what genre it belongs to (there can be no doubt about whether it is a comedy, horror or fantasy book).
Since the book can end up in the hands of very different people, it is important that you be specific but at the same time general.
When one writes, the reader is one.
Jorge Luis Borges
Practical tips for writing an effective prologue that attracts the reader's attention
Before you start writing an attention-grabbing prologue, you may be looking for some practical tips. Aspects such as structure or tone are of vital importance, since a mistake or lack of textual coherence can be decisive for the reader. If he comes to your book, reads the prologue, and only finds pages that confuse him, he will leave the book where he found it, and you don't want that, right?
On the other hand, if you read a prologue that is not only well written but well thought out, you will be more likely to continue reading the rest of the story.
How to structure a prologue for an effective start of the work?
How long should a prologue be? Should I structure it like any other chapter? These questions may be piling up in your head, but we promise that when you finish reading our tricks for writing an attention-grabbing prologue you will have clear answers.
Regarding length, the appropriate length is about 1000 words; Try not to exceed 1500, as then it will be too long and you will lose the reader's interest before you have a chance to hook them.
Regarding structure, a prologue generally has three parts:
• Introduction: include all the information that is essential to understand the work and your role as author. All this in a few strokes, since you will have time to expand later (for example, if you are going to explain that the plot is based on real events, put realism in the prologue and mention what those facts are, but without going into too many details).
• Development: in this section you can expand further and even add textual quotes, arguments from other people... That support the work and make it interesting for the reader.
• Closing: ends the prologue without ending the reader's interest. What he or she should feel is the desire to turn the page and start reading the book.
A final piece of advice when structuring the prologue is that you don't think of it as an opening chapter (that's what the first chapter is for). In fact, the prologue gives you much more freedom in that sense, since the narrator, time or place do not have to be the same as the rest of the book. Therefore, it should connect with the main story but not be part of it.
How to use the prologue to generate interest in future works and establish a relationship with the reader?
The prologue is not only a tool for the reader to connect with the story, but also with its author. In this way, if the writer is thinking about future works, making himself known in the prologue will help him establish a relationship with the reader and ensure that he remembers him in the future, perhaps when he is in a bookstore choosing what will be his next reading.
Being able to stay in the minds of those who read you can be decisive and help you live like a professional writer. Just as a salesman builds his client base, a writer must attract readers who buy his works not only for the stories but for himself.
To make this possible, use the prologue as a cover letter. But don't do it by listing all your titles or the literary awards you've won. If you want to establish a real emotional connection, tell anecdotes and let the reader see the real, most personal part of you. Also let it be known that you have written or are going to write more works, including the title of these or the topics you would like to discuss. This will keep your readers on the lookout for future publications and thus become followers of your literature.
Some writers increase readership; others only increase the number of books.
Jacinto Benevento
How to Use the Prologue to Characterize Characters and Set the Tone of the Book?
Finally, we are going to give you some tips to create a prologue that captures the reader's attention, also characterizes the characters and establishes the tone of the book.
• It is advisable to focus the prologue on character characterization if the book is part of a series; It will help identify the story and tone.
• Describe the most unmistakable elements of the characters as long as they are decisive in the story (if a character has light skin but this does not influence the plot, do not include it, but if it is a vampire and yours is a work of science fiction, include it to give clues and context to the reader). You can also explain how you created the fictional characters, what you based them on or what is most characteristic of them for you.
• Do not abuse by introducing several characters, it is better that you focus on the protagonists (for example, JK Rowling in the first chapter of Harry Potter, which is actually a prologue, introduces Harry - highlighting his scar - and Dumbledore, McGonagall and Hagrid, which will be relevant throughout the series).
• Maintain a representative tone: by reading the prologue the reader must be clear about what the book is about, and for this it is important to take care of the tone. For example, if you have written a psychological thriller, the prologue should introduce suspense.
Write a prologue that captures attention
If as a writer you connect with the reader, especially in the first pages, you are most of the way there. That is why it is important that the prologue fulfills its function and helps make your book a success.
If your work is already finished, prologue included, you only have to take care of the layout and launch it on the market. Luckily, today there are self-publishing platforms like Collabra that make publishing a book accessible to everyone.
With your talent, your book and your prologue and the tools that we can at your disposal, you are one step away from publishing your book.
