Sunday, May 29, 2011

In Medias Res Revisited

It's been quite a while since I talked about in medias res, but I find myself returning to it. When you start in the middle of things, you miss out on potentil storytelling.

For one thing, it takes away from elaboration. You miss out on characters meeting each other and becoming close frinds or bitter enemies. You miss out on seeing plans formed from and planned before they are carried out.

For another thing, you miss out on entertainment. It is fun to see events unfold, to see characters in their past and how they grow and develop, to see conversations take place, which are later referred to.

In medias res is a valuable technique. When your story is small in scope, starting in the middle keeps you focused (and there is definitely something to be said for a focused story). It will require you to be very conise in your writing in order to fit all the necessary details into your condensed space, but if it makes for a more effective story, then it is well worth the effort.

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