Old wooden door standing slightly ajar with warm light beyond, beside marked-up manuscript pages, a pen, and reading glasses on a desk.

What Is a Prologue Actually For?

July 12, 2026

Writers love prologues. Editors? We tend to squint at them first. Not because prologues are bad, but because most of them are doing work chapter one should’ve handled. A real prologue has one job: it changes how the reader experiences what comes next.