Writers in the Storm

by Lynette M. Burrows

Rumor has it that agents and editors hate prologues. The truth is agents and editors are readers. Some readers love a good prologue, others will never read a prologue. The same is true of publishing houses.

Prologues aren’t bad per se…but they are tricky to get right. They are so tricky there are no hard and fast rules. A poorly written prologue can prompt your potential readers to close your book and never open it again. Knowing what a prologue does and what questions to ask will help you decide if your story needs a prologue.

What Is A Prologue?

The word prologue has its roots in two Greek words. In Ancient Greek, “pro” meant forward or before. “Logos” means word or plan. Latin, then Middle English, language each changed the word to what we use today. 

Today’s dictionaries often define prologue as an introduction or preface. In the world of books, a preface refers to a section of the book that talks about the book. And that is not what we mean when we say prologue.

 In fiction, a prologue can be an introduction to the world or society of a story. It can be a past event or a future event. It can also set a mood, a tone, or to provide information.  

Prologues come before chapter one without exception. 

What Makes a Good Prologue?

The most important thing a prologue does is it establishes the context for the story. You can do this in several ways. 

If it provides necessary information that would disrupt the plot of your story if you included it in the main story, that is a useful prologue. This is especially true if the reader will understand the plot more deeply by having this information. 

Introducing an important-to-the story philosophy or religious belief can make a good prologue. If it helps the reader understand why the story characters make the choices they do but would require a lump of exposition that would disrupt the story, this would make suitable prologue material. 

You can write a prologue from the point of view of a character who knows or experiences something that is outside your plot and your viewpoint characters’s experience. Whatever this knowledge or experience is, it should add to the reader’s understanding of your story.

Another good prologue introduces a little of the antagonist’s background and motivation. It could be a scene that humanizes the character or a scene of how far the antagonist will go. This type of prologue is effective when the antagonist doesn’t appear until later in the story. 

Finally, a prologue can be a bit of background or a glimpse of the future that reinforces the main plot.

Examples of Good Prologues

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

The opening four lines of this play introduces the conflict between Romeo’s family and Juliet’s family. The culture and long-standing conflict is information that helps the reader immediately understand that these two young lovers will have colossal problems. 

A Song of Ice and Fire (A Game of Thrones #1) by George R.R. Martin 

The prologue in this book is a complete scene. None of the characters in this scene are viewpoint characters in the rest of the book. However, each of the characters represents a part of the story’s culture and society. It shows us that there is something unusual happening, and it’s freaking out the viewpoint character. By the time the reader has finished reading this prologue, they want to know who were the creatures that attacked, how cold is it going to get, and who’s going to stop the threat from the creatures? The reader is prepared for the brutality of the world and for the feudal culture and government of the story. 

The Shadow of the Wind (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books Book 1) by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

This prologue is told in the main character’s voice. It takes place when he was a young boy and his father takes him to the Cemetery of Forgotten books. It’s an exclusive and mysterious place of wonder presided over by an old man. The protagonist is told he may select one book, take it away, and make it part of his life. This sets up the reader to understand the character’s obsession with the book years later and how this leads him to a mystery that is the heart of the book.   

What Makes a Prologue Bad?

1. Information Dump

This is the most common “bad” prologue. If your prologue is only about one element of the story (technology, the world, the society, a character’s lineage, etc.) it will most likely be unnecessary and boring. Like the rest of the story, a prologue needs only enough of each story element in order for the reader to see it in his mind’s eye. 

2. Has Nothing to Do with the Story.

It does not matter how interesting a bit of business, a scene, or a description is if it doesn’t illuminate some part of the main story.The life cycle of a Fairy Godmother might be an interesting story, but as a prologue for Cinderella, it would fail. Why? The reader does not need to know the life cycle of a Fairy Godmother in order to understand the story. The same is true of a prologue about the lineage of Prince Charming. Neither of those bits of backstory is necessary to understand and enjoy the story. 

3. It only has one purpose.

Like the other parts of your book, a prologue needs to fulfill more than one purpose. Offering the reader a tourist brochure and guide or an encyclopedic description of the geo-political world instead of writing about an event and a character they can identify with and learn about the world alongside, will probably bore your reader. Or they’ll skip the prologue or put down the book. More than one purpose rounds out your prologue and gives it strength.

4. It’s used to supplement a boring first chapter.

No matter how suspenseful or interesting your prologue is, the reader will not keep reading if the first chapter is boring. Every part of your story must be the best, most interesting story you can write.

5. The content could be part of the main story.

If it could be, why isn’t it? 

6. Is it longer than your chapters?

A good prologue needs to be short and to the point. An overly long one may show information that you (the writer) need to know (and the reader doesn’t). It may also show you need to include this information in the main story. At any rate, if it’s longer than your chapters, it is in danger of not hold your reader’s interest.

7. It doesn’t fit the genre.

Readers of genres such as science fiction, fantasy, thrillers, and historical fiction are accustomed to prologues. Readers of contemporary romance are not as used to prologues. 

How to Tell if Your Prologue is Good

1. Does your story make sense without it?

The best prologues give the reader little bits of information that help them "get" the story. Test yours to see if yours does that. Try having someone read it without the prologue. If they read and understand the story without the prologue, skip it. 

2. Could this content be part of the main story?

It's okay if there's a part of the prologue is echoed in the main story, but the best prologues are the puzzle piece that helps complete the story. If your prologue could be part of the main story, by all means, put it in the main story. 

3. What does the reader gain from your prologue?

Even though your prologue is short, the best ones offer a full story moment. If it exists solely as exposition, or world-building, or mood setting, reconsider. Or rewrite your prologue to include an event and/or characters that will enlighten your reader about the main plot.

4. Does it give information that the reader could not glean from the rest of the novel?

If it does and the information enhances the reader’s experience or understanding of your story, then go for it. 

5. How does your prologue stand out from the rest of the book?

It can stand out by being a letter or poem, set in a different time period, or from a different point of view. If it doesn’t stand out from the rest of the book, why is it a prologue?

6. Does it make the reader ask questions but does not frustrate her?

A frustrated reader is a reader who will put the book down forever. If you’ve written a good prologue, then the reader wants desperately to continue reading. 

7. Is it gripping and intriguing?

Your prologue must be as gripping as the rest of your book. Remember, an agent, editor, and some readers will judge your story by the first ten pages of your book. 

Additional Tips to Writing Prologues

Despite genre and reader preferences, whether you write a prologue is all about what works best to tell your story. 

If you can’t decide if you should start with a prologue, read books in your genre. Do they have prologues? Look at what those prologues give the reader and what story techniques were used to create them. Another way to decide prologue or no prologue is to finish your story first. Once it’s complete, you will have a better idea of whether a prologue works.

Consider giving your prologue a title other than the word prologue. Some say this is necessary if you publish your book on Amazon. I don’t know the veracity of this. However, if you choose to give your prologue a title, make it stand out from the rest of your book. In The Shadow of the Wind, Zafón uses “The Cemetery of Forgotten Books” as the title of his prologue. He numbered the chapters in this book.

Finally, keep in mind that some readers may turn away from a book with a prologue. Other readers may skip it. 

You can’t do anything about the readers who see a prologue and give the book a miss. But for the readers who skip it there are two things you can do. 

1. Make certain the readers who skip the prologue can still enjoy your story. 

2. From the first to the last line of your prologue, use crisp, evocative language that pulls even a reluctant reader in. 

To Prologue or Not to Prologue

Prologues are not for every writer or every story. If you choose to write a prologue, use your best story writing techniques. A prologue isn’t simply something you tack onto the beginning of a story, it’s a story (or at least part of one). 

Have you thought about starting your story with a prologue? Why did you decide to use one/not to use one?

About Lynette

Lynette M. Burrows is an author, blogger, creativity advocate, and Yorkie wrangler. She survived moving seventeen times between kindergarten and her high school graduation. This alone makes her uniquely qualified to write an adventure or two.

Her Fellowship series is a takes “chillingly realistic” alternate history in 1961 Fellowship America where autogyros fly and following the rules isn’t optional. Books one and two, My Soul to Keep, and  If I Should Die, are available everywhere books are sold online. Book three, And When I Wake, is scheduled to be published in late 2024.

Lynette lives in the land of OZ. She is a certifiable chocoholic and coffee lover. When she’s not blogging or writing or researching her next book, she avoids housework and plays with her two Yorkshire terriers. You can find Lynette online on Facebook or on her website.

Image purchased from DepositPhotos.

by Diana Stout

You’ve got a great idea for a new story. You have an idea of how it’s going to end. You have at least one main character, maybe two, so you start writing while the idea is hot.

The idea grows as you’re writing, so you’re making it up as you go along, and the characters are revealing who they are. And, then suddenly, you hit a wall. You don’t know what happens next, and your brainstorming ideas are dismal.

Several days pass, and you’re still stuck. Maybe this idea wasn’t as good as you first thought. You’re now wondering if you’ve lost your muse. Even the characters aren’t exciting anymore.

You don’t want to give up because you’re halfway through the book. But, you’re stuck.

Suddenly, you get a new idea. An exciting idea. A different story idea. So, you shelve this problematic story and turn to writing the new idea instead.

And then, it happens again. You’re halfway through the story and you’ve entered the dead zone.

The sagging middle. Where great ideas weaken and get mired in the murky waters of story that creates painful writing.

The Three Biggest Reasons for the Sagging Middle

1. Nothing is happening.
2. The climax is in the wrong place.
3. There’s a lack of emotion.

What Should Occur in the Middle?

Blake Synder, author of Save the Cat!, a bookabout screenwriting, calls this plot point The Midpoint.

According to Michael Hauge, the author of Writing Screenplays That Sell, Selling Your Story in 60 Seconds, and The Hero’s Two Journeys with Christopher Vogler, the middle is one of five major plot points in the story that is designed to “elicit maximum emotion” both from the character and the audience.

This middle plot point should spin the story in a different direction and be fraught with anxiety, frustration, self-doubt, or fear.

Other Perspectives

Different writers have called this particular plot point by different names, but they all mean the same thing: it occurs in the middle of the movie or the book, at the 50% mark.

For Michael Hauge, this plot point marks the Point of No Return. The main character can’t return to the Ordinary World from which they came. Bridges have been burned. They’re now closer to the end of the story than they are from the beginning; and, they’re no longer that same person.

Chris Vogler, author of The Writer’s Journey, calls this plot point the Approach to the Innermost Cave. It’s both a huge step into the heart of the conflict and the heart of the character’s wound.

James Scott Bell, author of Write Your Novel From the Middle, coined this potent Midpoint as the Mirror Moment. He contends this Mirror Moment is a self-examination within a scene, where the character fully recognizes they can’t go back.

This Midpoint is a highly emotional scene as we see the character wanting to change, with the plot moving forward because of their renewed resolution in changing, which spins the story in a different direction.

The Nothing is Happening Problem

When nothing is happening, there’s always going to be a lull in the story, yet the middle isn’t the place for a lull. The Midpoint is easily the third highest emotional plot point in the entire story. The other two plot points that should elicit more emotion than the Midpoint are the Major Setback (at 75%) and the Climax (at 90-99%).

To determine what’s happened so far, make a list of the story events. Once listed, determine if the main character made the decision or someone else did, which means the character was acted upon; you want the main character making the decisions or agreeing with them. Then rate each event on the previous emotional scale of 1-10.

If lots of events occurred because of the main character’s decisions and the events were emotionally engaging, could your sagging middle be problematic because you’ve resolved the conflict? That there haven’t been enough twists and turns?

The Climax is in the Wrong Place Problem

When consulting with other writers and showing them how the five big plot points will create maximum emotion, they often discover there’s only one big confrontation, and more often than not, they discover it’s in the wrong place.

Once we move that big event to the Major Setback or Climax, they realize they had finished their story too early, that they didn’t have enough emotion or any emotion, or that the story lacked genuine conflict.

All of which led them to ask, So, what goes in the middle? What’s missing?

The Lack of Emotion Problem

Emotion is why we read books and watch movies. We want to experience what the protagonist is feeling. Too often, there’s not enough emotion.

Story emotion is revealed through the main character’s pain. If there’s no pain, there’s no conflict, and if there’s no conflict, there’s no story.

Conflict generates pain, which generates emotion.

Were the emotional scores you gave your list of events high, low, or midline? They should be high. If not high, is it because there’s no pain?

How to Fix the Sagging Middle

To fix the sagging middle, you want to ratchet up the main character’s emotion with tension, danger, stress, and anxiety. They need to be in danger emotionally, physically, mentally—separately or together.

To fix the Nothing is Happening Problem

Make something happen!

• Create a twist.
• Another crime is committed or another body is discovered.
• A character regrets having sex or saying I love you.
• A character on a quest realizes they’ve just been tricked or been going down a wrong path.
• The main character discovers something or someone they thought they could trust can’t be trusted.

To fix the Climax is in the Wrong Place Problem

Move your Midpoint to the Major Setback or Climax.

• Create an added crisis or twist, a mini climax, the first of several battles that lead to the largest battle of all—the climax.
• If your Midpoint is in the right place, then create an emotion-filled Climax.
• Make sure that events in the first half are properly leading to this new crisis, which later leads to the Major Setback and Climax.

To fix the Lack of Emotion Problem

Layer the story with more emotion.

• Hurt your main character.
• Fill every scene with emotion.

Allen Palmer named each of Christopher Vogler’s 12 plot points from The Writer’s Journey with a specific emotion. Seeing those named emotions, for me, was key to understanding how to layer those plot points more effectively, more deeply.

Final Thought

Far too often I’ll hear a writer, especially a romance writer, say, But I don’t like hurting my characters! Hurt them to the point that you’re cringing or fearing for them.

A sagging middle is a sure sign that something is wrong with the Midpoint plot point.

Brainstorming more events, more pain, more emotion, and moving your plot points around until you feel a lump in your throat occurs, or any other emotion you’re trying to elicit, because if you’re feeling it, your audience will feel it, too.

As you read this blog, did certain movies or books come to mind that provided an emotional Midpoint? Share their titles with us.

Have you struggled with the sagging middle in the past? Do you still?

About Diana

Finding joy in helping other writers, Dr. Diana Stout has just published two resource guides, CPE: Character, Plot, & Emotion and its companion book, the CPE Workbook, to help writers eliminate their sagging middles and demonstrate with examples and templates how a bit of plotting can be an aid to your pantsering.

Michael Hauge states that “Diana brilliantly reveals and edifies the uniquely powerful principles of plot and character.”

To learn more about Diana, visit her Sharpened Pencils Productions website.

Top photo created in Canva.

By Kris Maze

Stop and ask yourself, how much have you written today? This week? This year? Maybe you have recently finished a manuscript that is polished and ready for the printer, but if you are like me, the honest truth about your writing productivity might leave you disappointed, underwhelmed, or simply disappointed.

Don’t worry.

Writers all have a personal flow that influences how much you produce. It is important to check in with where you are in your writing process, to track how many words and pages you are producing.

Sometimes writing your manuscript is like spilling a flurry of words. Words that haunt you to return to the page the second you leave your desk. Other times it’s like searching a cavernous void in your mind as the clock ticks, ticks, ticks. Both have their place in the ebb and flow of a writer’s journey.

Writing productivity isn’t only about the word count and making deadlines. It is about how you understand your own workflow. Want to examine ways to feel more productive and satisfied with your writing? Read on.

Examining Your Own Writing Workflow

Try following the steps below to examine your writing workflow. Maybe these suggestions can help you get more words on the page, or a more polished product that you want to share with the world. Taking time to reflect on your writing process may feel unproductive because you’re taking a break from writing, but it is worth it in the long run.

I hereby give you permission to stop writing, as counterintuitive as it may seem, and to take a closer look at your writing workflow.

1. Define YOUR Productivity

How you are productive is subjective. And what "being productive” is will be different for each writer.

Some writers prefer the tangible attainment of a certain number of words or pages that they write in a certain period of time. Others take their time, writing from an outline and carefully crafting their first draft. This takes more time to finish their draft, but it saves time later in the editing process.

Ask yourself what makes you feel like you accomplished enough in one day. 

What you decide to do will depend on how you work best. Are you better off with a messy, wordy draft, getting all the plot details on the page first? Are you frustrated by too much editing and side stories that shouldn’t be in your novel at all? Do you have a combination of both?  

Define what is most important to you to feel like you have accomplished your writing goal. Write it down.

2. Make a Plan

Set yourself up for success and write out what you think is your optimum workflow. I recommend starting towards the beginning of a project, but if your current work is struggling, focusing on how you work may help you get unstuck. 

This plan for your productivity, like a novel, is a first draft and can be altered.

Remember the workflow is there whether you examine it or not.  Knowing how you work better can help you manage your resources of time and energy better. And we could all probably use a little more time to write. 

A writing workflow is confined by a few factors, but the most important are time and mental energy.  

• Schedule chunks of time that you need to accomplish your writing goals and add them to your calendar of choice.
• Add your writing time to wherever you keep track of your daily tasks. 
• Using a calendar, whether it is digital or written, is a good idea.
• Try to make your writing time stand out, so it is easier to track.
• Perhaps use a different color, or a separate area for writing can make it more visual. You don't want it to get lost in your other time commitments.

Once you have your times blocked off, try out your system for a week.  

While you are refining your writing process, figure out which days you actually did writing and which times you were the most productive.  I have a to-do app that makes a fun chime whenever I finish a writing session, adding the finished work time to my “done” list.  This makes the task less chore-ish to me and adds a little celebration when I’m reflecting on what works for my writing process.

The days and times that you were most productive should be repeated. Consider why the other times didn’t work and adjust your schedule to adapt your natural workflow.

3. Build in breaks

Now that you have figured out your optimal times to write, and the days and times when you are the most productive, you have to also pay attention to something else -- when you need to take a break.

When a story grips you, it can become the only thing you can focus on. It flows from you freely and you want to capture those words and plotlines. You want to ride the waves of your new novel with the fabulous new friends that are your characters. But it can also derail your writing later.

Have you experienced any of the following emotional concerns when it comes to writing? 

• Writing continuously could stem from the fear that if you stop and take a break, your words, your ideas, your inspiration will disappear. 
• Maybe an imposter syndrome is sneaking into your mind, making you worry that too much time away from your story makes you somehow less than the writer that you are.
• It could be that you are trying to be disciplined and sticking to the strict butt-in-chair mantra is too much for your writing flow. 

These common problems writers face and erode one’s ability to write well. Try to not let these deplete your writing productivity. Below are some things that might help.

Mindsets for Better Writing Productivity

Fear of losing a great idea. 

I want to assure you that although these are legitimate concerns for us as writers, we can have peace in the work that we do. We know that pursuing stories is a time-honored skill, innate to humans, and that the writing bug has infected us as creatives. And that won’t go away. 

Keep Imposter Syndrome Away.

Don’t define your writing by comparing it to others and remind yourself of why you became a writer. Became a writer, dear friend, because you are already deep into the writing work and that is what writers do.  You are a writer because it is the best writers that continue to seek more knowledge about all the aspects of creating and marketing their books. You are here and reading about writing. That is evidence enough.

Avoid Burnout and Writers Block

Taking breaks from writing can keep you from burning out and hitting the dreaded writer’s block. And how much more can we as writers, who study characters and grammar and plot, can use this knowledge when we figure out our workflow and apply it to our writing process.

If you want some fun ideas for taking breaks, check out my previous post on self-care for writers here. One of my favorite mental health hacks though is not included in that post. I’m sharing it with you here instead, the go-to for this writing gal is naps.  Naps. The best mini break a writer can take. In my opinion. 

My Favorite Mental Boost Hack

Napping isn’t just for the lazy or tired; it can be a powerful tool for writers looking to enhance their creativity and productivity. Research suggests that short naps can improve cognitive function, memory, and creativity.

New to napping? Not sure napping is for you? Getting rest gives you hives? Whatever your feelings about naps, here’s a few popular ways others have used a nap to enhance their productivity. 

1. Power Nap  

 A power nap is a short nap, typically around 10 to 20 minutes long, taken during the day to boost alertness and energy.

Set a timer for 15 minutes and close your eyes in a quiet, comfortable place. Try to relax and clear your mind.

A power nap can help you feel refreshed and more focused, making it easier to tackle writing tasks with renewed energy and clarity.

2. Coffee Nap

Also known as a caffeine nap, this technique involves drinking a cup of coffee or tea right before taking a short nap.

Drink a cup of coffee, set a timer for a 20-minute nap, and lie down.

The caffeine takes about 20 minutes to start working, so by the time you wake up from your nap, you'll feel the combined benefits of the nap and the caffeine, which can enhance alertness and focus.

Note: there is a similar version, nappuccino, which involves drinking a small amount of coffee or espresso and then taking a short nap.

3. The NASA Nap

This technique is based on research conducted by NASA, which found that a 26-minute nap can improve pilot performance and alertness.

Take a 26-minute nap in a quiet, comfortable environment.

The NASA nap can help you feel more alert and focused, which can improve your writing productivity and creativity.

4. The Dream Nap

This technique involves taking a longer nap, typically around 60 to 90 minutes, to allow for a full sleep cycle, including REM (rapid eye movement) sleep.

Set aside time for a longer nap, ideally in the early afternoon.

The dream nap can improve memory, creativity, and problem-solving skills, which can benefit your writing by enhancing your ability to generate ideas and think creatively.

Napping can be a valuable tool for writers looking to enhance their creativity and productivity. By incorporating these napping techniques into your routine, you can recharge your mind and body, improve your focus and alertness, and boost your writing skills. So go ahead, examine your writing process then take a nap, and see how it benefits your writing!

Which napping techniques would you try, or currently use, to recharge and improve your writing? And what have you learned about your own workflow? Have you found ways to hack it to get more creative productivity? Please share in the comments!

About Kris

Kris Maze, an education enthusiast with a knack for the written word, has dedicated several years to the world of academia. She writes for various publications including Practical Advice for Teachers of Heritage Learners of Spanish and award-winning blog Writers in the Storm where she is also a host.

You can find her YA fiction, writing resources, and keep up with her author events at KrisMaze.com. Find her darker, scarier fiction at her sister-site KrissyKnoxx.com.

A recovering grammarian and hopeless wanderer, Kris enjoys reading, learning languages, and spending time outdoors where she ponders the wisdom of Bob Ross.

And sometimes she takes a nap.

Top photo purchased from Depositphotos.