on Writers Helping Writers:

After nearly ten years working with writers, I’ve decided the only inviolable rule in writing is that a romance must have either a happily ever after (HEA) or a happy for now (HFN) ending. And yet blog posts like these are full of writing “rules.” I loved Jami Gold’s post on rule breaking in fiction right here on Writers Helping Writers. Today I’d like to talk about one of the first rules she mentioned: Avoid Prologues.

Most writers recognize one of the most famous prologues in English-language literature, William Shakespeare’s sonnet opener in Romeo and Juliet that begins “Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona where we lay our scene…”

But at the same time, you’ve probably been told in a blog post, a conference talk, or writing course to avoid prologues at all costs. I’ve certainly cautioned many a writer against including a prologue. And 75% of the time it’s good advice, because prologues are often catch-all repositories for info-dump, world-building deep-dives, and spoilers. When a prologue works, though, it adds so much to your story. Here’s a checklist you can use to make sure your prologue is strong enough to break the “no prologue” rule: