Openings & ThresholdsFoundational
Prologue
A threshold section before the main narrative sequence or primary frame.
Principle
A prologue earns its place when it changes how the reader enters the main story.
Takeaways
- It can establish scale, danger, myth, mystery, or historical cause.
- It should not merely withhold the real first chapter.
- A prologue makes a promise the book must remember.
Overview
A prologue is opening material that stands before the main narrative, often separated by time, point of view, scale, or mode. It is useful when the reader needs a threshold experience different from the story's ordinary first chapter.
Examples
- A mythic disaster centuries earlier frames the political story that follows.
- A murder scene precedes the detective's quieter first chapter.