Which is first prologue or epilogue

As an introduction to a story, a prologue can work very well. It is typically shorter than an actual chapter, and may only be a page or two. Often, it is intended to provide some back story about events that occurred prior to the beginning of the novel. For instance, if a novel is about a family, the prologue might include information about the people who first started that family, or where they first settled.

This information might be included in a prologue if it will be relevant to the story later. I hope this is helpful! Hi Niranjan, thank you for your question. That is an interesting option. It could provide a useful recap for the reader and would be particularly effective if it had a hook to invite the reader to continue. Good luck with both books. Your email address will not be published.

Close Menu Start Login. Start your Novel. Read on for definitions, examples and tips for using them in your own books: What is a prologue?

But first: What is an epilogue? There are various reasons why you might include an epilogue. Writing prologues that explain your world This type of prologue is particularly common and useful in genres like fantasy and science fiction.

Include humour, if relevant If humour is part of your story, a funny or whimsical prologue is effective. Save this infographic for a refresher or pin or share this article. Related Posts: 5 ways to start a story: Choosing a bold beginning How to start a story off with a bang: Tips and examples How to start a fantasy story: 6 intriguing ways. Tags epilogues , prologues. Any tips on how to write a prologue and an epilogue for a romance?

That sounds a good length, good luck writing it! I like the name Nahara. Can the epilogue of my first novel become the prologue of my second novel? Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Explaining the existence of fantastic beasts. Need to quickly establish how on earth your modern-day protagonist is half elf and half vampire? A prologue that serves as an origin story for a myth or mythic beast can save you all kinds of clunky exposition later on.

But the key here is to focus on one stage-setting event in the mythology and avoid giving an exhaustive history. Purposely spoiling the outcome of your story. In this type of prologue, the reader gets a glimpse of some tragic or dystopian future, and then the main story is essentially a flashback of what set events in motion.

Ask yourself this: How is the story enriched by the reader knowing the outcome up front? Rebooting a series. This is a good time to employ a dream sequence or flashback, but this type of prologue should be super short, lest it read like a TV episode recap. The Artful Epilogue Epilogues are easier to pin down. When your plot moves at a fast clip and on a defined timeline say, over the course of a few days , the epilogue provides a breather and a way to check in with characters as they recover from injuries, reunite with love interests, or fall back into their usual hijinks.

Illustrating a changed world. Just make sure that you stay in the fiction zone. Common at the end of series, this type of epilogue is trickier than it seems. Its purpose is to state the goal of the work and why the reader may be interested in what it has to offer. The Section at the End Just as there are different terms to describe introductory sections in a work, there are just as many that are used to indicate sections toward the end of a work. Epilogue : Just as the prologue helps to establish the setting of a story, an epilogue can appear at the end to bring closure to a work.

In the case of a play, the epilogue may be spoken by a character, commenting on the events that just transpired. This epilogue can also be given from the perspective of the narrator.

Afterword : Just like the foreword, an afterword can be used to discuss how the concept of the book and how it came to be. It may be written by someone other than the principal author, in which case it may provide commentary or provide context. Conclusion : Like introduction, conclusion is a more general term. Depending on its usage, a conclusion can simply summarize or recap the main points discussed in the primary work.

Addendum : While all of the above sections are usually written and published at the same time as the primary work, an addendum is a section that is typically added after the fact. It may still make the first edition, but the purpose of an addendum is to provide supplementary information or updated information. About The Author. Michael Kwan Professional freelance writer.