in medias res
Story starts mid-action
In medias res is a Latin phrase meaning "in the middle of things," used to describe a narrative technique that begins a story in the midst of action rather than at the chronological beginning.
Epic poems like the *Iliad* and *Odyssey* famously employ this approach, dropping readers into ongoing events and filling in backstory later.
The technique creates immediate engagement by thrusting the audience into drama already unfolding.
The film opens in medias res, with the heist already in progress.
Curved catching device
- intrigueSecret plotting or fascination
- curiosityDesire to learn
- anticipationState of awaiting something
- mysterySomething unexplained or unknown
cliffhanger · immersion · disorientation · uncertainty · surprise · captivation · momentum · grip
Gap or start
- hookCurved catching device
- nonlinearNot in sequence
- flashbackInvoluntary past memory
- flashforwardTemporal narrative jump ahead
chronology · disorientation · juxtaposition · ellipsis · narrative structure · interruption · fragmentation · discontinuity
Recounting events aloud
- plotStoryline or land parcel
- expositionSystematic explanatory presentation
- climaxPoint of greatest intensity
- denouementStory's final unraveling
rising action · falling action · resolution · subplot · backstory · foreshadowing · arc · pacing
Stretched or strained state
- crisisDecisive dangerous moment
- conflictOpposition between parties
- stakesPosts or wagers
- urgencyPressing need for action
confrontation · dilemma · climax · catharsis · protagonist · antagonist · struggle · emotion
hook
Curved catching device
- intrigueSecret plotting or fascination
- curiosityDesire to learn
- anticipationState of awaiting something
mystery · cliffhanger · immersion · disorientation · uncertainty · surprise · captivation · momentum · grip · compel
opening
Gap or start
flashforward · chronology · disorientation · juxtaposition · ellipsis · narrative structure · interruption · fragmentation · discontinuity · reverse chronology
storytelling
Recounting events aloud
- plotStoryline or land parcel
- expositionSystematic explanatory presentation
- climaxPoint of greatest intensity
denouement · rising action · falling action · resolution · subplot · backstory · foreshadowing · arc · pacing · scene
tension
Stretched or strained state
urgency · confrontation · dilemma · climax · catharsis · protagonist · antagonist · struggle · emotion · peril
Iliad
Ancient Greek war epic
Virgil · Paradise Lost · invocation · heroic · battle · quest · Horace · classical · ancient · oral tradition
- storytellingstorytelling, story, tale, narrative, narrator
- plotplot, storyline, subplot, climax, narrative
- plot devicesMacGuffin, red herring, plot twist, flashback, foreshadowing
- openersbottle opener, can opener, corkscrew, church key, churchkey
- literary devicesmetaphor, simile, hyperbole, personification, alliteration
- poesía épicaBeowulf, Gilgamesh, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Orlando Furioso
in medias resab initio
From the beginning
from the beginning · origin story · from the start · once upon a time · prologue
medium, media, immediately, immediate, mediator, median, mediate, intermediate, medial