[header] How to write a prologue for your novel [title] Use the prologue to provide backstory. [step] One way to use a prologue is to provide backstory on a character or several characters. This can help you, as the writer, avoid using other tricks like flashbacks or inserted backstory in the novel. 
This option is useful if you are struggling to cover the details of a character's past within the action of your novel. [substeps] However, many writers argue against using a prologue as a way to dump a whole bunch of backstory, or past information, on the reader.