Creating Mystery and Dread:
To Prologue or not to Prologue
Recently, I taught a session on examples of great prologues, so to develop this class, I made some quick notes on the pros and cons of prologues, and I thought I’d share them with you! If you’re not a paid subscriber, now might be the time to sign up!
Establishes the murder or crime, especially from the past. Adds mystery and curiosity to determine who did what in the past and how it will put pressure on them in the present and future!
Shows us the crime from the villain’s point of view (might be the protagonist?)
Allows a first-person narrator to show that they are narrating from the future, that the events have already taken place.
Allows the reader to see how a main character interacts with someone who will be dead, lost, or gone in the present-day part of the story. Establishes a sense of knowledge or intimacy with a character before they die, leave, or are lost.
Allows the reader some empathy for the victim, for us to care about them before they are killed. This adds to the stakes if you care about the victim!
