How to Write a Prologue Readers Won’t Skip (& When to Start at Chapter One Instead)

Let’s talk about one of the most controversial elements in fiction writing: How to write a prologue that works (and do you actually need one?)

You've probably heard the warnings. Some literary agents advise cutting them. Many readers flip right past them. And writing communities are full of advice that says, “Just start with Chapter One instead.” (Jane Friedman explains why prologues have such a bad reputation).

And yet, some of the most beloved novels out there start with a prologue. Which leaves writers stuck in the middle. Should you listen to the advice and cut it, or follow the lead of bestselling authors and include one?

That’s exactly what we’re going to unpack here. By the end of this article, you’ll know when a prologue adds value, when it weakens your opening, and how to write a prologue that hooks readers instead of pushing them away.

Should You Write a Prologue? Or Not?

Before we dive into the when and how, let’s get clear on what a prologue actually is.

A prologue is a brief introductory section that comes before Chapter One. It can set the stage for your story by introducing a crucial event, a piece of backstory, or a perspective that shapes what’s to come.

So why do prologues get such a bad reputation?

Most of the time, it’s because they’re used as a crutch. Writers lean on them to dump world history, explain backstory that could be shown later, or include scenes that don’t feel connected to the main story.

Here’s what I tell my clients: a prologue needs to earn its place in your manuscript, just like any other scene or chapter.

The key question to ask yourself is this: Would my story be significantly weaker without this prologue?

If you’re hesitating or trying to talk yourself into keeping it, the answer is probably no. But if removing your prologue would leave readers confused, strip away crucial context, or lessen the story’s impact, then you might have a prologue worth keeping.

Because the best prologues don’t just “add information.” They create an experience that shapes how readers feel about your story. They’re not chapter zero or bonus content; they’re the key that unlocks everything that follows.

Think of it this way: your prologue makes a promise. It says, “Pay attention, this matters.” Readers will carry that promise with them through the entire book, waiting to see how it pays off. And when it does? It’s unforgettable. But when it doesn’t, readers disengage—and that’s a risk you can’t afford to take.

How To Write A Prologue That Actually Works (5 Types With Examples) 

Now, let's look at five types of prologues that actually work and that readers actually love. Understanding these will help you write a prologue that serves your story. Keep in mind that many great prologues can be categorized in multiple ways. These aren't rigid boxes but rather ways to think about what your prologue is accomplishing.

1. The Central Conflict Prologue

This type of prologue gives readers a glimpse of the main threat or conflict that will drive your entire story—even if your characters aren’t aware of it yet.

Take the prologue of Game of Thrones, for example. It introduces the White Walkers beyond the Wall, a supernatural danger that our main characters won’t believe in for a long time. But readers know from page one that this threat is real and inevitable. Suddenly, every political squabble and personal drama takes on new meaning because we’re carrying the weight of what’s coming.

What makes this prologue so effective is that it doesn’t explain the White Walkers or their history—it shows them in action. We experience the horror alongside the doomed Night's Watch, making the threat feel immediate and visceral.

This type of prologue works because it creates dramatic irony and tension. Readers know something big is coming, which adds weight to even the quietest character moments. That knowledge hums beneath every scene, creating a delicious sense of anticipation that keeps pages turning.

If you want to write this kind of prologue, focus on showing the conflict in action rather than explaining it. Let readers feel the threat through vivid scenes and emotional resonance. Keep some mystery—your goal is to intrigue, not fully inform. Done well, this type of prologue sets the stage for a story that feels layered, urgent, and impossible to put down.

2. The Alternate Perspective Prologue

This type of prologue shifts the story to a different character’s point of view—often someone who won’t appear as a POV character again (though not always).

Take The Book Thief, for example. Death narrates the prologue (and the entire book), immediately setting a unique tone and signaling that this isn’t a typical WWII story. Through Death’s perspective, we get observations and foreshadowing that wouldn’t work from the young protagonist’s point of view. Lines like, “Here is a small fact: You are going to die,” establish both tone and expectations perfectly. This otherworldly narrator sees the bigger picture in ways the human characters cannot.

This type of prologue works because it provides crucial context or atmosphere that your main character’s perspective can’t deliver. It can also create mystery or dread when readers know something the protagonist doesn’t. By expanding the scope of your story, it enriches everything that follows.

If you want to write this kind of prologue, choose your alternate perspective carefully. It should offer something only this viewpoint can provide—whether it’s unique insight, tone, or foreshadowing. The voice should be distinct enough that readers immediately know they’re in a different head. Avoid using this as a way to sneak in backstory. Instead, focus on adding depth and intrigue that enhances the main narrative.

Click here to read more about mastering POV in fiction.

3. The Flash-Forward Prologue

This type of prologue jumps ahead to a pivotal moment later in the story, then pulls back to show how we got there.

For example, The Guest List opens with the aftermath of a murder at a wedding. We don’t know who died or who the killer is, but the scene gives us just enough—the eerie setting, the horror of the discovery, and the fact that someone is dead. The rest of the book builds toward this moment, with every wedding guest becoming a potential victim or suspect.

This type of prologue works because it creates immediate intrigue and raises questions that propel readers through the story. Readers know where things are headed, but not how or why. It’s like showing them the edge of a cliff and promising to explain how the character ended up hanging from it. The journey becomes just as compelling as the destination.

If you want to write this kind of prologue, focus on creating questions, not answering them. Show enough to hook readers, but leave key details unresolved. Use atmosphere and emotion to draw readers in—facts can come later. Most importantly, choose a moment that’s genuinely worth the build-up. The payoff should feel inevitable and satisfying, making the journey to that moment unforgettable.

4. The Origin Story Prologue

This type of prologue reveals a pivotal event from the past that sets everything in motion—but be careful, it’s not an excuse to dump backstory.

For example, The Way of Kings opens with the assassination of a king, an event that happens years before the main story but completely reshapes the world our characters inhabit. Sanderson doesn’t just tell us a king died, he shows us the betrayal, the magic, and the shocking violence in real time. We don’t just learn what happened—we feel it. We see the emotional fallout, the devastation, and the ripple effects that will shape everything to come.

When done well, this type of prologue immerses readers in a dramatic, scene-based moment that sparks the story’s larger conflict. It’s not about explaining “how things came to be” but about letting readers witness the spark that lit the fire. This creates a deeper emotional connection to the consequences that follow, making the story feel immediate and inevitable.

If you want to write an origin story prologue, focus on a single, pivotal moment rather than trying to cover years of history. Make it specific, dramatic, and emotionally charged. Show how this moment changed everything through character reactions and immediate consequences—not through narrative explanation. The goal is to make readers feel the weight of this event so deeply that they carry it with them into the main story.

5. The Tone-Setter Prologue

This type of prologue’s primary purpose is to immerse readers in the atmosphere of your story and establish exactly what kind of world they’re stepping into.

Take The Cruel Prince, for example. It opens with a scene that shows just how dangerous and brutal the faerie world can be. By witnessing this violence firsthand, readers immediately understand the stakes and the kind of world the protagonist must navigate—a place where mortals are toys and cruelty is entertainment. Holly Black doesn’t waste time explaining faerie culture or rules; instead, she shows us through action, making the world feel vivid, visceral, and alive.

This type of prologue works because it sets clear expectations and pulls readers into the story’s unique atmosphere from the very first page. This is especially crucial in fantasy or stories with specific rules, dangers, or stakes that readers need to grasp quickly. Think of it as handing readers a lens through which they’ll view the entire story—one that makes the world feel immediate and tangible.

If you want to write this kind of prologue, avoid mistaking tone-setting for an info dump. Show your world’s nature through specific, vivid scenes and interactions. Every word choice, image, and piece of dialogue should reinforce the tone and stakes. Readers should finish this prologue not just understanding your world, but feeling it in their bones.

Now that you understand these five types of effective prologues, let's examine the essential elements that all great prologues share. These key components keep readers turning pages.

The 3 Essential Elements of an Unputdownable Prologue

No matter which type of prologue you write, it needs these three elements to hook readers from the start:

1. Immediate Conflict or Tension

Your prologue can’t afford to be a slow burn. Something needs to be at stake from the very first line. This doesn’t mean you need explosions or murders (though those work too). The tension could be emotional, psychological, or atmospheric, but readers must feel that something important is happening.

Take the Game of Thrones prologue. From the moment the rangers head beyond the Wall, every line drips with dread. We sense something is wrong long before the White Walkers appear. The tension builds relentlessly until it erupts into supernatural horror.

But conflict doesn’t have to be external. In The Book Thief, the tension comes from Death’s casual mention of the protagonist’s future death. It’s the emotional weight of knowing too much—seeing the ending before the beginning.

Either way, your first line should make readers lean in. Your first paragraph should make them hold their breath. By the end of the first page—prologue or not—they should be hooked, unable to look away.

2. A Clear Connection to the Main Story

This is where so many prologues miss the mark. Your prologue must tie into your main narrative in a way that feels essential, even if the connection isn’t immediately obvious. Readers should finish the prologue with questions that only the rest of the book can answer, sensing (even if they can’t quite articulate it) that what they just read matters.

The connection can take many forms:

• Thematic: Establishing ideas or motifs that will echo throughout the story.
• Practical: Showing an event that directly impacts everything that follows.
• Emotional: Creating a feeling or tone that colors how readers interpret the story.
• Symbolic: Presenting images or moments that will gain deeper meaning later.

For example, in The Guest List, we know someone dies at the wedding. This knowledge casts a shadow over every interaction between the guests, making even small moments feel charged with tension. In The Way of Kings, the assassination of a king reshapes an entire world. Its consequences ripple through every political scene that follows, grounding the story in stakes that feel monumental.

If you want your prologue to resonate, focus on how it enriches the reader’s experience of the main story. Whether it’s through foreshadowing, emotional weight, or thematic depth, the prologue should feel like an integral thread in the larger tapestry of your narrative. Readers should feel compelled to keep turning pages, eager to see how it all connects.

3. A Compelling Hook at the End

Your prologue’s ending is your last chance to grab readers by the collar and make them desperate to turn the page. It should leave them with a sense of urgency—questions they need answered, emotions they can’t shake, or a promise they can’t resist.

This hook could take many forms:

• Something that flips the reader’s understanding of the scene or stakes
• A mystery or unresolved tension that lingers
• A visual or emotional moment that stays with the reader
• A hint of danger, conflict, or transformation
• A line that shifts the reader’s perspective or raises the stakes

For example, The Cruel Prince ends its prologue with young Jude watching her parents brutally murdered by faeries, only to be taken by their killer to live in the very world that destroyed her family. This final image—a mortal child carried off to live among monsters—leaves readers with burning questions: How will she survive? Will she seek revenge? The tension and stakes are so visceral that readers have to keep going.

The key is to make your prologue’s ending feel like a door opening rather than closing. It should create momentum, pulling readers into Chapter One with excitement and curiosity rather than obligation. Think of it as planting a seed that will grow as the story unfolds, ensuring readers are hooked from the very first page.

How to Tell If Your Prologue Is Working

Before we dive into evaluating your prologue, let’s get one thing straight: a prologue is never a substitute for strong opening chapters. If your first three chapters aren’t working, the solution isn’t to tack on a prologue—it’s to make those chapters work. Period.

That said, if you’ve written a prologue or are considering adding one, here’s how to evaluate whether it’s pulling its weight:

First, try the Delete Test. Remove your prologue completely and read your first three chapters. Does the story still make sense? Do those chapters still have impact? If yes, you might not need your prologue. If no—if something feels missing or confusing—your prologue might be filling a gap.

Next, ask yourself these key questions:

• Does my prologue create questions readers will want answered?
• Does it establish something (tone, conflict, stakes) that Chapter One alone cannot?
• Will the information in my prologue matter to how readers experience the story?
• Does it hook readers with conflict, tension, or intrigue?
• Can readers sense how this relates to the larger story, even if they don’t fully understand the connection yet?
• Does my prologue ending create momentum into Chapter One?

Finally, get an outside perspective. Have someone read just your prologue. Then ask them, “What questions do you have?” What do you think this story will be about? What feeling are you left with? Their answers will tell you if your prologue is doing its job.

Final Thoughts

Writing a great prologue isn’t about rigidly following rules—it’s about understanding what your story truly needs. Some stories demand prologues, while others shine brighter without them.

The prologues readers skip are the ones that feel optional, disconnected, or indulgent. But the prologues readers love? Those are the ones that feel essential—prologues that create an experience no other part of the book could replicate.

Trust your instincts, but also trust your readers. They’re smart. They don’t need every detail spelled out from the start. Sometimes, the most powerful choice is to dive straight into Chapter One and let your story unfold naturally.

But sometimes, a brilliantly crafted prologue is exactly what your story needs to elevate it from good to unforgettable.

Remember, you’re the author. You hold the creative reins. Whether you choose to write a prologue or skip it entirely, make that decision with confidence, knowing you’ve equipped yourself with the tools to understand what makes a prologue work—and why.

Your story is waiting. Whether it begins with “Prologue” or “Chapter One,” what matters most is that you write it with purpose, clarity, and faith in your creative vision.

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