In media res

[CollarAndFeather]

Hello, been an anonymous reader for a while, but feeling the urge to take a crack at writing, so I'm looking for some advice before I make too much of a fool of myself.

I've always had something of an affinity for the 'in media res' trope when writing, & usually get good feedback on it. I, also, find that it's a good way to avoid my tendency to overdo the setup with a dry info dump, so despite being fun, I often manage a better flow and tension build when using it.

That said, while I'm not exactly a novice in terms of amateur writing, outside of a fair amount of text-based RP, I don't have any experience writing erotic fiction. I would appreciate any feedback, advice, tips, or tricks on using that trope in this genre, since I'm used to using with a different type of tension.

I'm not, necessarily, thinking of it in terms of starting in the middle of sex. The current idea I have my muse working on is more along the lines of starting in the middle of a drawn-out teasing/foreplay session. That said, I expect that I'll eventually want to use it in other situations, so both general and specific advice would be appreciated

 

[sr71plt]

I start a lot of mine in the middle of something. So, go for it. As far as advice on writing erotica, asking a question that open is going to get you far more garbage in response than anything you'd find useful. Just start writing--about stuff that arouses you personally--and adjust from there over time as you decide you need to take a new direction.

 

[Kethandra]

Hello, been an anonymous reader for a while, but feeling the urge to take a crack at writing, so I'm looking for some advice before I make too much of a fool of myself.

I've always had something of an affinity for the 'in media res' trope when writing, & usually get good feedback on it. I, also, find that it's a good way to avoid my tendency to overdo the setup with a dry info dump, so despite being fun, I often manage a better flow and tension build when using it.

That said, while I'm not exactly a novice in terms of amateur writing, outside of a fair amount of text-based RP, I don't have any experience writing erotic fiction. I would appreciate any feedback, advice, tips, or tricks on using that trope in this genre, since I'm used to using with a different type of tension.

I'm not, necessarily, thinking of it in terms of starting in the middle of sex. The current idea I have my muse working on is more along the lines of starting in the middle of a drawn-out teasing/foreplay session. That said, I expect that I'll eventually want to use it in other situations, so both general and specific advice would be appreciated

Go for it. In the middle of things is a great place start in fiction. Erotic fiction is still fiction. It just has a sexual element. Sports fiction is fiction with sports in it.
You choose the middle of what. Dinner. A conversation. Phone call. Foreplay. Crying. Laughing. Wiping cum off of...
It's all in the middle of what happened before and what happens next. Even if you start with (and please don't) "Let me tell you about me. I'm 32-22-36EE," the next thing that happens is in the middle of something.
Also, when you pick a spot to start, ask yourself if you could start a little later. Like a plotpoint-establishing phone call: don't tell us he dialed the area code, or that the other party said "Hello" or "good to hear from ya, how's the kids." Start at the stuff that matters.
More importantly, write. It's harder, but you can edit yourself into the middle of things too.
So jump in and then share.

 

[Rozalin_0123]

Kethandra makes a very valid point. You're always starting in the middle of something. There will always be backstory (at least there should be).

One thing I'd like to add is that wherever you decide to start, you need to quickly establish who the characters are and why they are doing whatever it is they are doing. You don't want to confuse your readers in the first page. You also want to establish a "hook"; something that draws the reader in and keeps them wanting to read more.

 

[headdoctor]

Another thing to consider is that in some ways *all* stories start in medias res in terms of plot and character; there's always something that came before. And at the same time, in terms of the story proper, all stories can only start at the beginning.

But I also agree with the advice you're getting: launching in some unexpected moment can be a thrill for readers, who must engage the work from the start.

 

[LadyVer]

Good luck! Media res is just another way to start a story. In the middle of something, instead of starting at at the beginning.

HI Pilot.

 

[elfin_odalisque]

Unanimous vote for 'in media res'.

You have to hook the reader from the start to make them want to 'turn the page' A great info dump is just a turnoff.

 

[Hypoxia]

I may pull a Michener and start an upcoming story with The Big Bang. No backstory possible. EVERYTHING else necessarily has a backstory, implicit or otherwise. And even The Big Bang has quantum froth and multiverses lurking in the shadows.

Probably the closest I've started to a beginning is in A FALL OF STARDUST, modeled on George Stewart's classic novel STORM. Cosmic and historical tales can work that way; just pick an initiating event. But I often start stories in the middle of conversations or rants for the YOU ARE THERE effect.

 

[Over_Red]

I've always had something of an affinity for the 'in media res' trope when writing, & usually get good feedback on it. I, also, find that it's a good way to avoid my tendency to overdo the setup with a dry info dump, so despite being fun, I often manage a better flow and tension build when using it.

Sounds like you've got a good grasp on yourself. Like everyone else said, if you want to start in the middle of things, do it!

But don't be complacent - demand something from your writing. Why are you starting where you're starting? What does it bring to the story that it otherwise wouldn't if you started elsewhere? Don't start there because it's where you're most comfortable; start the story there because the story must start there, because it adds something vital, because it builds the story as a whole. Don't use it as a toolkit that you tack on in front; use it to convey something to the reader while engaging them in the immediacy of the action.

 

[CollarAndFeather]

Thank you all for the encouragement. ^_^

 

[PervOtaku]

In media res is an entirely valid device, though I do always roll my eyes a bit when some TV show starts out with the heroes in peril, then within 30 seconds jumps to "Two days ago..." or whatever. That just screams "I think the audience is going to be bored and change the channel if I don't hook them with something", which is especially galling if it's a well established show with a loyal audience. Most people expect a story to spend an introductory period setting up the plot anyway.

Whereas, if you actually spend a good chunk of time before taking the timeskip back, and the story flow actually benefits from this due to the information the reader has or doesn't have during certain events, then great, do it.

I'm developing a story with male and female protagonists, but as the story opens the guy is the sole viewpoint character. He helps the girl out of a jam, and she tracks him down and rather abruptly has sex with him (one hell of a "thank you"). At first I wasn't even really planning to fill in her relevant backstory, but I soon realized that it wasn't something I wanted to leave blank. So chapters three and four of this story will be "flashbacks" taking place prior to chapter one, and don't involve the guy protagonist at all. I'm doing this rather than full chronological order for two reasons. One, the guy is in the damn title, it's rather important that he is, and if he doesn't show up until chapter three it would seem very odd. Two, the guy's feeling of "holy shit this girl I barely know just fucked me" is only shared by the readers if they haven't gotten to know her yet.