In Medias Res: A Creative Writing Exercise

What Is In Medias Res?

In Medias Res — Latin for "in the middle of things" — is a narrative technique where a story begins at a point of crisis or action, rather than at the chronological beginning. The reader is dropped into a situation already in progress and must piece together what came before through implication, flashback, or gradual revelation.

Homer used it in The Iliad, starting in the tenth year of the Trojan War. James Bond films open with a chase scene before the credits. Breaking Bad opens with a man in his underwear holding a gun in the desert. The technique is thousands of years old because it works — it hooks the reader immediately.

On Writaya, In Medias Res is part of the Structure & Narrative theme and develops your Logic and Communication dimensions.

Why It Matters for Writers

The biggest risk in any story is losing the reader before the interesting part begins. In Medias Res eliminates this risk by making the interesting part the first thing the reader encounters. There is no slow build, no throat-clearing, no setup — just immediate immersion in a situation that demands attention.

This method connects to Late In, Early Out from the Dialogue & Voice theme — the same principle applied at the story level rather than the scene level. Both techniques trust the reader's intelligence and reward their active engagement.

How to Practice In Medias Res

Step 1: Write a complete short scene with a beginning, middle, and crisis. Include all the setup.

Step 2: Delete the beginning. Start the scene at the crisis — the moment of maximum tension or confusion.

Step 3: Read the new opening. Does the reader have enough information to stay engaged? They do not need to understand everything — they need to care enough to keep reading.

Step 4: Weave essential backstory into the action. Instead of explaining what led here, reveal it through dialogue, objects, and character behavior in the present moment.

Try It Now: A 5-Minute Exercise

Write the opening paragraph of a story that begins with a character running. Do not explain why they are running, where they are going, or what happened before. Just the running — the breath, the terrain, the fear or exhilaration. In the second paragraph, drop one small clue about why. Make the reader desperate to know more.

Tips for Getting the Most Out of This Technique

Confusion is acceptable; boredom is not. When you start in the middle, the reader will be temporarily disoriented. That is fine — disorientation is a hook if the writing is vivid enough. What kills a reader is not confusion but the feeling that nothing is at stake.

Use concrete details to anchor the reader. Even in chaos, specific sensory details give the reader something to hold onto. The smell of smoke, the texture of wet pavement, the sound of an engine — physical reality grounds an otherwise disorienting opening.

Do not explain too quickly. The urge to fill in backstory is strong, but resist it. Let the reader sit in the middle of things for as long as possible. Every question in their mind is a reason to keep reading.

Practice In Medias Res on Writaya with exercises that force you to begin at the moment of action. The Logic and Communication feedback evaluates how well you orient the reader without resorting to exposition. Pair with Foreshadowing for planting details that pay off after the opening chaos. See our Structure & Narrative theme guide for all six methods.