In medias res v. once upon a time

[Kumquatqueen]

I try to start when the story gets going. Then I realise I've written a pile of exposition and meandering chitchat, and tend to go back and re-write once the rest of the story is done. I suppose it makes sense - how can you tell what the start of a story is until you know what the story is?

 

[SimonDoom]

I think by far the best way to do it in MOST cases is "in media res." Jump into a scene, and use that scene to get your story going. Explain along the way.

 

[ChloeTzang]

Usually I just dive in, but occassionally I will do something like this....

Gong Chao-Xing was beautiful.

This was something that all who saw her agreed upon, for Gong Chao-Xing was beautiful in the way that the most attractive of Shanghai girls were beautiful in that Old Shanghai of a hundred years ago, in that Shanghai of the late 1930’s. Everything about her drew the eye, so that it was impossible for any man to know just where to focus. Everything about her was perfect, without any flaw to mar that perfection. Even in Shanghai, a city renowned both in those days and now for its many beautiful girls, Gong Chao-Xing’s beauty was exceptional.

Her appearance had drawn eyes for as long as she could remember, although when she was younger, she had not understood why it was that men’s eyes followed her in the way that they did. While she had been innocent of the desires of men and the lengths to which men would go to satisfy those desires, those looks and glances cast her way were something that had always intrigued her for as long as she remembered, for Gong Chao-Xing was a girl with a natural curiosity. She had long been aware that those eyes did not look upon her as they looked upon other girls.

In this, she was entirely correct......

.........the entire first chapter is a description of Gong Chao-Xing.

There were many who desired to possess such beauty and ravish such innocence in that Old Shanghai, the old Shanghai of 1938, the time and the setting of our tale. That Shanghai of the 1930’s was a city of sin, immorality, lust and debauchery, a city where every vice known to man was available for a price, and in that Shanghai, there was much wealth. Wealth sufficient to allow any vice to be catered to, including the ravishing of young and beautiful innocents. This then, was the city in which Gong Chao-Xing had grown up, shielded and protected by her family from those to whose eyes she was an object of lust and desire. This then, was a city where many men regarded girls such Gong Chao-Xing as no more than mere objects intended to satisfy those lusts and desires.

In this tale that is set in that Shanghai of old, that Shanghai of the late 1930’s, Gong Chao-Xing is our central character. The requital of those lusts and desires of men and the way in which Gong Chao-Xing’s innocence was lost are the core of this tale, around which all else revolves.

The background to Gong Chao-Xing now provided in sufficient detail so as to not require repeating, we shall move on to the very beginning of this tale from Old Shanghai, for the beginning is of course where all such tales should begin.

* * *

 

[XerXesXu]

Write your story first. The opening line and opening paragraph will become obvious when you edit. They may be halfway down page 1, on page 3 or in Chapter 4. Promote them to their appropriate position and reorder accordingly.

 

[TheWritingGroup]

*The Bible has entered the chat*

Calling that "a story" is fighting words!

I didn't say it was a GOOD story.

I believe @Britva415 was saying that the Bible is a collection of stories, not a single unified narrative. And Britva is correct.

--Annie "Very didactic today"

 

[Djmac1031]

I believe @Britva415 was saying that the Bible is a collection of stories, not a single unified narrative. And Britva is correct.

--Annie "Very didactic today"

My real point in bringing it up was just a humorous reply to:

"I would postulate that it's basically impossible to write a story which really begins at the beginning and doesn't ever once refer to anything from a previously-un-exposited past."

Because if you think about it, the Bible does exactly that. "In the beginning, God created..."

Starting at literally THE beginning with zero backstory on said god throughout the rest of the story.

 

[TheWritingGroup]

Because if you think about it, the Bible does exactly that. "In the beginning, God created..."

Depends. Genesis 1:2 actually says that the ocean ("the deep") already existed at that point.[/pedantic]

--Annie

 

[Britva415]

the Bible is a collection of stories, not a single unified narrative

That's even more blasphemous!

 

[Djmac1031]

That's even more blasphemous!

if you're worried about blasphemy, you probably shouldn't read my Angels And Demons stories lol.

 

[Britva415]

if you're worried about blasphemy, you probably shouldn't read my Angels And Demons stories lol.

I'm not, there just isn't an emoji for when you wink so hard it sprains your eye

 

[TheWritingGroup]

if you're worried about blasphemy, you probably shouldn't read my Angels And Demons stories lol.

Or The Writing Group's "Benefactor".

--Annie

 

[TheLobster]

 

[CalBishForNow]

Ways to start a story:

1. Exposition
2. Dialogue, daily activities, mild action that will gradually rise to a conflict
3. In media res, a figurative or maybe even literal explosion right away

I've used a mix of the first two types pretty evenly, as I review things, but I suddenly wish I had used the third more. I guess the story I'm currently working on is kinda close, maybe I can make some edits to get it even closer...

It doesn't necessarily have to be sex, even though this is the genre for that; a fight or chase could qualify.

I feel like it also doesn't necessarily have to involve a flashback, record scratch, or other form of "how we got here," although I can't think of examples at the moment. In theory it should be possible to establish the needed background with dialogue and other actions in the moment, without the narrative completely backtracking.

Wait, I found it. TV Tropes distinguishes between in media res and Action Prologue. I guess IMR is more likely to use a flashback later, and AP is more likely to be unrelated to the main plot. IMR for a story about a gangbang would start with participant number two, or maybe five. AP for a story about a gangbang would start with some vanilla one-on-one sex hours or even days before the gangbang.

 

[TheWritingGroup]

I was just looking at a story from New Stories today. It begins with two screenfuls of background. The mom and daughter look like sisters, OK. But, paraphrased, "The mom works out, explaining how she looks so young. The daughter has a sexual history. The family was happy. Here's an overview of the daughter's personality ..." It's just blatant, and so unnecessary.

--Annie

 

[ChuckWolf]

For me, in media res works best when introducing a character/situation that is (seemingly?) unrelated to the main story; sort of preparing us for what we can expect, while simultaneously getting the story off to a strong start. Most of the James Bond movies are pretty good at this.

Pulp Fiction had a unique way of doing in media res and that led to you seeing it in every 90's independent movie.

In literature, Stephen King's It was a little bit of a challenge for me because it kept zipping between the main characters as adults and then as kids, so there were twice as many characters to initially keep track of in your head.

Personally, not the biggest fan of starting at the "action" and then rewinding back to the events that started it.

 

[crookedletter]

I've done both. Philosophically I'm more inclined toward in media res: I think it usually works better, the story is moving from the moment it begins, it's less boring, etc.

I think it's natural to start a draft with a version of once upon a time. I'm trying to work out for myself what the story is, so I set the scene, establish the background and the characters and why they are where they are. In media res comes with revision: recognizing the story starts not where I started writing but... there.

I think sometimes a once upon a time start can work. I won't cite my fairy tale entry where I literally started with "Once upon a time," to lean into the trope. But the below is from a work in progress. I'm not citing it as a phenomenal beginning, but it's a version of once upon a time, and I don't think it's bad. Though I may still decide the story starts somewhere beyond this:

My life was never what I would call a stable, reliable thing. Still, it shocked me how quickly it all came tumbling down.

 

[StillStunned]

I don't think that in medias res necessarily means starting with action, or midway through the story. It can be when the protagonists meet. It can be a significant day - like all those high school movies and TV shows that start with a montage of getting ready for the first day of the schoolyear - or receiving an email or phone call.

It basically means "this is where things get interesting, I'll fill you in on the rest as we go along". And you can also have build-up with in medias res: the longer the story, the more leeway you have to set the mood or paint the background without it becoming "once upon a time". As long as it's conducive to bringing the reader to point where humdrum becomes story-worthy.

 

[SimonDoom]

I don't think that in medias res necessarily means starting with action, or midway through the story.

I would agree with that. If we're using "in media res" in the strict sense of starting in the middle of the story, I almost never do that. Instead, I usually start when the real story starts, and weave in whatever background stuff has to be incorporated (usually not that much) to make sense of the story.

 

[StillStunned]

Instead, I usually start when the real story starts, and weave in whatever background stuff has to be incorporated (usually not that much) to make sense of the story.

That's the trick, isn't it? Deciding what's the *real* story. I mentioned in another thread that The Lord of the Rings starts with Bilbo leaving the Shire, seventeen years before the War of the Ring, because that's where Frodo's story starts. But Peter Jackson's movies literally begin "with the forging of the Great Rings". The opening of Fellowship is a masterpiece of "once upon a time", with the story proper beginning when Frodo hears Gandalf riding up.

Another example, in the same vein, is Memory, Sorrow and Thorn by Tad Williams. There's an incredibly long intro, which feels like a drag if you see the books as Simon's story. But if you see them as the story of the upheaval of Osten Ard that impacts everyone everywhere, then it begins right in medias res: with the death of the old king and all the changes that brings. *That* is the moment that the world changes.

I think it's important to pick the right incident to start your story. If you choose the wrong one, the reader might misunderstand who or what the story is about. I haven't read the novelisation of The Phantom Menace, but Terry Brooks apparently starts it with Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Amidala arriving on Tatooine. He skips the whole bit with the invasion of Naboo - presumably because that's not where Anakin's story begins (I might have to go back and look up exactly what he says about it). It's worth noting here that TB was personally trained by Lester Del Rey.

Is this an aspect of writing where pantsers have an advantage over plotters? We tend to start writing at the interesting bit, without thinking too much beforehand about why, where and how.

 

[SimonDoom]

That's the trick, isn't it? Deciding what's the *real* story. I mentioned in another thread that The Lord of the Rings starts with Bilbo leaving the Shire, seventeen years before the War of the Ring, because that's where Frodo's story starts. But Peter Jackson's movies literally begin "with the forging of the Great Rings". The opening of Fellowship is a masterpiece of "once upon a time", with the story proper beginning when Frodo hears Gandalf riding up.

Another example, in the same vein, is Memory, Sorrow and Thorn by Tad Williams. There's an incredibly long intro, which feels like a drag if you see the books as Simon's story. But if you see them as the story of the upheaval of Osten Ard that impacts everyone everywhere, then it begins right in medias res: with the death of the old king and all the changes that brings. *That* is the moment that the world changes.

I think it's important to pick the right incident to start your story. If you choose the wrong one, the reader might misunderstand who or what the story is about. I haven't read the novelisation of The Phantom Menace, but Terry Brooks apparently starts it with Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Amidala arriving on Tatooine. He skips the whole bit with the invasion of Naboo - presumably because that's not where Anakin's story begins (I might have to go back and look up exactly what he says about it). It's worth noting here that TB was personally trained by Lester Del Rey.

Is this an aspect of writing where pantsers have an advantage over plotters? We tend to start writing at the interesting bit, without thinking too much beforehand about why, where and how.

As a plotter, but also somebody who likes to start when things get interesting, I wouldn't say pantsing gives an advantage. Having thought it all out from the start, I have a good idea where I want the story to begin.

The medium makes a difference. In LOTR, for example, there was no way Jackson was going to repeat the long expository sections in the book contained in the Council of Elrond or Shadow of the Past chapters. He had to condense it. So he did so in the form of a mini-story, at the beginning of the movie. The mini-story is filled with action and dramatic scenes, so it's not boring.

Another way to do this is through the device of the amnesiac main character, where the main character doesn't know who he is or what he's doing and has to find out, along with the reader. This device is used in Roger Zelazny's Amber series and in Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Identity. You jump right into the action, with a character who has no idea what's going on, and as the reader you find out along with him. It can be very effective, as I think it is in both those examples. The main character doesn't necessarily have to be an amnesiac; he or she just has to be introduced to a situation he doesn't understand and must learn about. That somewhat describes Luke Skywalker's plight in Star Wars. I think it can be used in an erotic story as well.

 

[StillStunned]

Another way to do this is through the device of the amnesiac main character, where the main character doesn't know who he is or what he's doing and has to find out, along with the reader. This device is used in Roger Zelazny's Amber series and in Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Identity. You jump right into the action, with a character who has no idea what's going on, and as the reader you find out along with him. It can be very effective, as I think it is in both those examples. The main character doesn't necessarily have to be an amnesiac; he or she just has to be introduced to a situation he doesn't understand and must learn about. That somewhat describes Luke Skywalker's plight in Star Wars. I think it can be used in an erotic story as well.

Done well, this is a good device. Done poorly... well, it's the equivalent of having your POV character stand in front of the mirror and describe their appearance.

(An example of amnesia done well is the Scavenger Trilogy by KJ Parker. The POV character's amnesia there is a plot device, not a narrative device. Things become strange when he takes on the role of a god, and then finds ancient prophecies showing his adventures over the past few days.)

 

[alohadave]

View attachment 2572049

Yes, it makes writing so much harder when you are the one making all the decisions about everything.

I can barely manage my own life and you want me to make multiple believable characters with their own backstories and motivations.

 

[TheWritingGroup]

Brandon Sanderson's Frugal Wizard's Guide for Surviving Medieval England uses the amnesiac protagonist, and it doesn't work for me. His hero has amnesia, but also comes from a weird dystopian future, and is a fish out of water in a weird medieval fantasy setting. It's too much, it turns the first 10 chapters or something into (frankly) boring exposition.

Contrast with Nine Princes in Amber, where our amnesiac hero is in ... our world. Weirdness only gradually intrudes, allowing the exposition to be more gradually introduced, and keeping us the audience a little more grounded. (Also, nobody was or is better than Zelazny at establishing atmosphere.)

--Annie

 

[crookedletter]

I feel like the amnesia device used today can very easily feel contrived. Just changes the As you know, Bobisms to As you once knew but forgot, Bob...

It's a common device in fantasy/sci-fi, where rather than amnesia you have a character being introduced to a world that's new to them, so it's more like As you don't know yet, Bob...

All of which can work, of course, and have plenty of tradition working. But in the hands of otherwise clumsy writing they can feel like gimmicks to shoehorn in awkward expository dialogue. Sometimes some quick omniscient narration will do the trick just fine.

 

[Britva415]

I don't think that in medias res necessarily means starting with action

Agreed, and something still has to be happening, even if it's not "action." That's really what sets it apart from scores to hundreds to thousands of words' worth of mere scene-setting, establishing-shots and title-scrolling.