A prologue is a short, self-contained opening placed before the first chapter of the main story. It works well when it presents scenes that are hard to show directly in episode 1, such as a key past event, a hint of a future outcome, or a separate character's point of view.
You don't need to write a prologue just because you want to explain the setting in advance. In a web novel's episode 1, readers check who this is happening to and what's happening right now, before they care about the scale of the world. A prologue is medicine when it builds curiosity and helps readers move into the main story, but it easily becomes poison when it delays the protagonist's entrance and repeats the same information.
The Roles of the Prologue and Episode 1 in a Web Novel
The prologue and episode 1 both belong to the opening, but they carry out different functions. The prologue presents a scene readers need to know before the main story, while episode 1 launches the protagonist's present-day journey.
Scroll the table horizontally to see more.
| Aspect | Prologue | Episode 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Central timeframe | Can include a past preceding event or a future outcome | The present moment when the protagonist starts to act |
| Central character | Can be a character other than the protagonist, or a separate viewpoint | The protagonist the reader will follow |
| Main function | Presents foreshadowing, the background of the central conflict, the work's tone, and a reader question | Introduces the protagonist, the current goal, the early conflict, and the narrative voice |
| Question the reader holds | "How does this event connect to the present?" | "What will the protagonist do now?" |
| What to check if removed | Whether tension, emotional impact, or understanding of the event weakens | Whether the story's very starting point disappears |
Adding a prologue doesn't reduce episode 1's responsibilities. If episode 1 stalls on setting explanation after the prologue shows an intense event, the tension breaks along with the episode transition. The moment the main story begins, readers need to see the seed of the current state the protagonist wants to change, along with the seed of a goal.
When a Web Novel Prologue Works as Medicine
There Is a Key Event Hard to Show from the Present Viewpoint
The past event that triggered the central conflict may already be over, and the protagonist may not know its full picture. If this event directly affects future choices and conflicts, there's grounds to separate it into a short preceding scene.
For example, if someone opens a forbidden door and disappears in the prologue, episode 1 can start in a present that only carries the aftermath. Readers then wait to see when the preceding event will collide with the protagonist's life.
Showing a Future Outcome First Creates a Reader Question
You can also show a scene right before a catastrophe, or a hard to understand outcome, then rewind time. What matters here isn't the scale of the scene, but the question the main story needs to answer.
A scene that ends on "Why did the city collapse?" has a broad scope. A question tied to a character's choice, like "Why did the protagonist erase a companion's name?", is more likely to drive readers through the main story's conflict.
A Separate Character's Viewpoint Sharpens the Central Conflict
You can show a conspiracy, a threat, or a sign of an event the main protagonist doesn't know about, through another character's viewpoint. This separate viewpoint has value if the information creates tension for readers and makes them see the protagonist's ordinary present in a new light.
If the character in the prologue stays disconnected from the main story for too long, reader expectations fade. It's better to leave a link within the scene, such as a character, an object, a place, or a trace of the event, that connects to the later narrative.
Letting Readers Experience the Story's Tension and Emotion First
A prologue can also set the work's tone. If the early main story is relatively calm but soon leads into a dark secret or a huge conflict, a short prologue can preview the story's deeper tension in advance.
Even here, atmosphere alone is weak. The event that creates the emotion needs to connect directly to the main story's conflict or theme.
When a Web Novel Prologue Becomes Poison
Worldbuilding Explanation Crowds Out the Scene
Writing that summarizes a kingdom's history, a magic system, or relationships between races lacks a present event for readers to hold onto. Even if the information is necessary, check first whether it can be revealed through a character's actions and conflict instead.
If you cram in so much setting that readers can only understand episode 1 after reading the prologue, the barrier to entry grows heavier. Readers aren't there to take a test. They have no reason to memorize every rule from the start.
Repeating the Same Information as Episode 1
If the prologue shows an accident scene and episode 1 has the protagonist recall that same accident at length, the information gets disclosed twice over. When you use the same event twice, the viewpoint or meaning needs to change.
If it doesn't add a new question, tension, or interpretation, deleting the prologue or folding that scene into episode 1 can save the flow.
The Protagonist's Goal and Early Conflict Are Delayed
The longer the prologue runs, the more readers experience the opening twice. If they read the preceding scene, move into the main story, and then run into another round of character introductions and background explanation, they get the impression that the story barely moves.
Episode 1 needs to reveal the following elements early.
- Who the protagonist the reader will follow is
- What state the protagonist currently wants to change
- What early conflict blocks or shakes that goal
- What curiosity makes readers check the next scene or episode
If the prologue keeps pushing back the appearance of these elements, the entire opening needs to be reworked.
Removing It Doesn't Change the Reading Experience
Try covering the prologue and reading from episode 1 instead. If understanding of the event, the character's emotions, the tension, and the later foreshadowing all still work almost the same, the case for keeping it as a separate opening is weak.
Being a cool scene isn't enough on its own. You should be able to explain what effect disappears from the work if that scene is cut.
Criteria for Deciding Whether to Keep, Cut, or Merge a Prologue into Episode 1
When it's hard to decide by feel after finishing a manuscript, try applying the following questions in order.
- Does the prologue's event act directly on the main story's central conflict?
- Is this a scene that's hard to show naturally from the protagonist's present-day viewpoint?
- Does the reader who reads the scene hold a specific question they want answered in the main story?
- Does a character's choice or a change of events happen, independent of background information?
- Does the protagonist's current goal and early conflict start right away in episode 1 after the prologue?
- If the prologue is removed, does one of understanding, tension, emotional impact, or foreshadowing clearly weaken?
- Can the same content be delivered more smoothly in the opening scene of episode 1 itself?
If you answer the earlier questions positively and answer no to the last question, there's enough grounds to keep the prologue. If the same effect can be created in the main story's opening scene, consider merging them. If removing it barely changes the reading experience, feel free to cut it.
Works Where Starting with Episode 1 Is Enough
If a strong change is already happening in the protagonist's present, jumping straight into the main story fits well. That's because a scene where the protagonist receives an unfamiliar proposal, faces the result of a failure, or enters an unavoidable conflict creates a reader question all on its own.
The more of the following conditions overlap, the more natural a web novel's episode 1 feels without a prologue.
- The protagonist's current actions alone can show the work's genre and mood.
- The necessary worldbuilding information can be revealed step by step within the early conflict.
- Past events don't lose meaning even when delivered through a short clue or flashback.
- Episode 1's opening scene foreshadows the protagonist's goal and central conflict together.
- Attaching a separate preceding scene would show the same opening twice.
Not having a prologue doesn't mean a work is less prepared. It's simply a structure where episode 1 directly performs the opening's function.
How to Revise a Web Novel's Episode 1
Read the prologue and episode 1 back to back and check the last sentence of one against the first sentence of the other. The question the prologue creates needs to connect to one of episode 1's characters, places, or events for reader interest to carry through.
When revising, it helps to write down each scene's function in a single sentence.
- Prologue: "What event does it show readers first, and what question does it leave behind?"
- Episode 1: "What does the protagonist want right now, and what conflict do they enter?"
- Episode transition: "Where do the prologue's question and the protagonist's present connect?"
If the answers overlap with each other, there's room to merge them. If the prologue's answer stops at "it explains the worldbuilding," redesign it as a scene or cut it. If the two answers are clearly different yet point toward one central conflict, the opening has divided its roles well.
Summary
- A prologue works well when it uses a preceding event, a future outcome, or a separate viewpoint, things hard to show from the present, to create a reader question the main story will answer.
- It's likely to become poison if it crams in background explanation, repeats the same information as episode 1, or delays the protagonist's goal and conflict.
- Check whether understanding, tension, emotional impact, or foreshadowing weakens when it's removed, and consider merging it if the same effect can be achieved in the main story's opening scene.
FAQ
Does a web novel absolutely need a prologue?
Not necessarily. If episode 1 can naturally present the protagonist's current goal, the early conflict, and the story's curiosity, you can start there directly.
What should go into a web novel prologue?
A preceding event directly linked to the main story's central conflict, a hint of a future outcome, a separate character's viewpoint, or a scene that shows the work's tension and tone all fit well. It's better to cut back on setting information unrelated to the later narrative.
At what point should a prologue be cut?
If reading from episode 1 without the prologue still preserves understanding of the event, tension, emotional impact, and foreshadowing, you can consider cutting it. The same judgment applies when its information overlaps with the main story's opening scene.
How should a prologue connect to episode 1?
Connect the question the prologue creates to one of episode 1's characters, places, objects, or traces of the event. You don't need to reveal every answer right away, but you should show a sense of connection that the same story has begun.
Should every past event be separated into a prologue?
That's not necessary. If a short flashback, a conversation, or a trace left in the present can convey it well enough, you can reveal it within the main story instead. A past event becomes a prologue candidate when it creates its own independent tension and reader question.
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