Literary Craft: In medias res
What is in medias res? This term, translated from Latin, literally means “into the middle things.” It is used as a form of a narrative hook where the story begins right in the middle of the action. Flashbacks are often included throughout the linear storyline to provide the reader with a bit of backstory so they might fully understand what is presently occurring in the narrative.
Beginning a story in medias res is a technique that I admire and often like to project into my own writing. (As evidenced by my first workshopped chapter.)
Two examples:
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
This story begins in the middle of Nick and Amy Dunne’s failing marriage. On the day of their fifth wedding anniversary, Amy goes missing …show more content…
Even though Amy admits to us (at the beginning of part two) that she had to forge these as evidence that Nick would be capable of murder, she also says that the first part where “Nick and Amy fell in love” were mostly based on true events and feelings.
The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
This story opens in the middle of Pat’s continued struggle to accept that his marriage is over. Before the book’s narrative begins, Pat and his estranged wife, Nikki, suffered from an extreme, violent instance that managed to land Pat in a psychiatric hospital. He refers to this time away from his wife as “apart time.” In the first chapter, Pat decides to leave the hospital and go home with his parents. He believes he has resided at the hospital only for a few months, when in reality, he has been there for years.
The chapter is titled, “An Infinite Amount of Days Until My Inevitable Reunion with Nikki.”
“Once again, Mother has found me in my bathrobe, exercising unattended in the courtyard, and I smile because I know she will yell at Dr. Timbers, asking him why I need to be locked up if I’m only going to be left alone all
What is in medias res? This term, translated from Latin, literally means “into the middle things.” It is used as a form of a narrative hook where the story begins right in the middle of the action. Flashbacks are often included throughout the linear storyline to provide the reader with a bit of backstory so they might fully understand what is presently occurring in the narrative.
Beginning a story in medias res is a technique that I admire and often like to project into my own writing. (As evidenced by my first workshopped chapter.)
Two examples:
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
This story begins in the middle of Nick and Amy Dunne’s failing marriage. On the day of their fifth wedding anniversary, Amy goes missing …show more content…
Even though Amy admits to us (at the beginning of part two) that she had to forge these as evidence that Nick would be capable of murder, she also says that the first part where “Nick and Amy fell in love” were mostly based on true events and feelings.
The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
This story opens in the middle of Pat’s continued struggle to accept that his marriage is over. Before the book’s narrative begins, Pat and his estranged wife, Nikki, suffered from an extreme, violent instance that managed to land Pat in a psychiatric hospital. He refers to this time away from his wife as “apart time.” In the first chapter, Pat decides to leave the hospital and go home with his parents. He believes he has resided at the hospital only for a few months, when in reality, he has been there for years.
The chapter is titled, “An Infinite Amount of Days Until My Inevitable Reunion with Nikki.”
“Once again, Mother has found me in my bathrobe, exercising unattended in the courtyard, and I smile because I know she will yell at Dr. Timbers, asking him why I need to be locked up if I’m only going to be left alone all