Avoid prologues. Prologues are backstory and can be dropped in anywhere. Fairly sound. I can’t say whether I’ve had much opportunity to use this in real life. Short stories shouldn’t have a prologue, and most novels I read don’t have one. I don’t have a problem with prologues myself. I enjoy reading them, and like writing them. I think the reason most people would put in a prologue is either to set the mood right away or if your story’s start isn’t zippy enough, you can put in an exciting prologue. Like in Jaws, we have the innocent swimmer going out, and then getting ripped apart by some unknown force.…