tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6637035864156536177.post4872947530449175300..comments2024-03-11T03:04:52.544-05:00Comments on All Things Writing: In Medias ResAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01969128607361895190noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6637035864156536177.post-58867071121598525192012-12-16T18:40:08.249-06:002012-12-16T18:40:08.249-06:00You took the words right out of my brain.You took the words right out of my brain.John Brewerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11660606231282416423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6637035864156536177.post-22849959113763006602012-12-14T13:22:21.036-06:002012-12-14T13:22:21.036-06:00Quad erat demonstrandum et non solum sed etiam a p...Quad erat demonstrandum et non solum sed etiam a pseud might say!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16659028701089523574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6637035864156536177.post-17042813488525002022012-12-10T21:15:55.209-06:002012-12-10T21:15:55.209-06:00It reminds me of the technique, reductio ad imposs...It reminds me of the technique, reductio ad impossibilem, or Proof by Contradiction. When you learn it in analysis it is so elegant you start trying to solve every proof that way. You quickly learn that it only works on certain kinds of problems. I guess those lofty latin mechanisms are like that.John Brewerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11660606231282416423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6637035864156536177.post-62009013013528919482012-12-10T11:41:22.117-06:002012-12-10T11:41:22.117-06:00Thank you John and Mary Ann - you've summed up...Thank you John and Mary Ann - you've summed up my feelings on the matter very well.<br /><br />It's a very attractive device (which is why it is overused) but it's also a one-shot gun. You know; it can hit the target, blow up in your face, shoot you in the foot, misfire etc.<br /><br />Given how easy it is to 'go elsewhere', authors tempted to use 'in medias res' should think very carefully before doing so.<br /><br />The consequences of getting it wrong can be far-reaching.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16659028701089523574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6637035864156536177.post-74707820027080673012012-12-09T21:12:33.400-06:002012-12-09T21:12:33.400-06:00Nice post! I think one of the problems in this cas...Nice post! I think one of the problems in this case is structure. To make In Medias Res work, it should be obvious that it is exactly what you are doing. Mystery probably does this better than any other genre, starting with a scene where you don't know anyone, then moving to another scene where you don't know anyone. But because you understand the genre, it is exactly what you are expecting.<br /><br />When In Medias Res fails is often when the writer is, in effect, tricking the reader, making them think they are somewhere doing something that they are not, only to fool them. While it sounds good, it usually backfires. For the writer it works because he already knows the story. But the reader doesn't know the story so she just gets annoyed and goes somewhere else.John Brewerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11660606231282416423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6637035864156536177.post-88871718775998323662012-12-06T07:10:51.254-06:002012-12-06T07:10:51.254-06:00Clive, as always, you so got it right with this po...Clive, as always, you so got it right with this post. As writers, publishers, agents and other authors are always encouraging us to jump in with the action right away, but that can be tricky. Good post!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15272865345029946809noreply@blogger.com