Writing Blog Number 2

20250521 In Media Res

In Media Res

This is from an old question, from my "20240612 Starting A Story"  post. Sorry it took me so long. And the person who asked the question has since blocked me, so… meh. Still a good question.
                   Can you explain what in media res is in more detail?
         Sure.

In Media Res is a Latin phrase which means “in the middle of things.” It has become a standard of narrative story-telling, especially in the short story format and script work. What this means is that the opening of the story happens with something occurring, we are in the middle of the action.

In films, think the opening of Avengers: Age Of Ultron, the first three Indiana Jones movies, and Deadpool And Wolverine. They open, in order, on a mission with lots of shooting and death, seeking a gold statue, trying to get an antidote for a poison, a young Indy on a dig and with a chase, and Deadpool killing TVA agents with the remains of a Wolverine. Give us the action from the word go! Of course, not every movie does this – Die Hard has the slow build of tension, for example – but many do.

In short stories, though, in media res is a great way to engage your reader from the word go. You can introduce the characters over the course of the events, but the thing is, the reader wants to read on because it is already engaging. It does not mean every story needs to start with an explosion or a death or something. But starting with something happening is a great way to engage.
         Too many writers start with character introductions. “Georgina Smith was 5’6, 130lbs with bobbed hair that was blonde, brown eyes and a smattering of freckles on her nose. She wore a pink top and purple pants with her new KSI-branded sneakers and a bracelet that said, “Love.” She liked cats and kittens but loved tigers.” I changed the details, but this is the opening of a story I read here on WdC. And, guess what? Nothing in that description meant a damn thing in the 1100 word story that followed.
         I am about to toot my own horn here, but let’s compare that to the opening of my short story "Audrey" . We start there with Audrey being led to the back yard by her grand-daughter. Something is happening. We don’t even get a description of a single person in the whole story. Does it matter? I don’t think so. The story tells the tale of a woman treated as useless because she is old and blind. Details are sprinkled into the story; I don’t think I’ve done an info-dump. We start in media res and the story does not have a lull afterwards. I think. (I used that story because it seems people like it.)

This technique does have two disadvantages – one, it reduces word count. On WdC, that hardly matters, but in the real world when submission calls ask for a set word count, it can be an issue. So use more show and you’ll get your word count up. Two, sometimes it feels like the writer is starting at the climax. And that is the way with some stories. I guess also some writers want to use the slow build – show a normal day and then mess it up for the characters bit by bit. And that is perfectly valid. I do it in a fair amount of my horror.

However, the advantages, I feel, can outweigh the disadvantages. And it will help get rid of the info-dump character introduction (stop doing that!) and make the reader get into your story faster.

In. My. Opinion.