In Medias Res – When the story throws you into the middle of the action
Imagine this…
A bomb is ticking. Someone is sneaking through a door. A building is burning.
And that’s when the story begins.
And not with, “Once upon a time, there was a peaceful town…”
Welcome to the world of in medias res – the narrative technique that grabs you from the first sentence and doesn’t let you go.
Where does it come from?
The expression in medias res comes from Latin and means “in the middle of things”. This style was used by Homer in the Iliad. Instead of explaining why the Greeks are at the walls of Troy, Homer starts directly with the anger of Achilles – an anger that will change the fate of everyone.
Why is it so effective?
- It arouses curiosity
The reader asks himself: “What is happening here?” - It ignites the imagination
We enter the story without knowing what happened before – and we start to pick up the pieces ourselves. - Skip the boring beginning
No one wants three paragraphs of explanation. Start with the action and let the characters speak for themselves.
How is it used in AI storytelling?
Artificial intelligence (like GPT) can write stories that start the way a director would set up a scene in a movie:
“The robot was standing over the broken computer. Sparks were flying. Someone had to stop it. And now.”
AI models can:
- start the story right at the climax;
- rewind the action with a flashback;
- create interactive choices: “Do you want to find out how it got here?”
Education and entertainment
The in medias res approach is a goldmine for educational content. It’s good for:
- capturing students’ attention;
- developing critical thinking;
- creating engaging and meaningful stories where knowledge is revealed through action.
A piece of advice
Next time you start a story – don’t start with “Once upon a time…”
Start from the moment when everything is already on the edge.
And leave the audience wanting more.
Where can you learn more?
At CREATIVITY we are already conducting trainings on our new topic:
Digital Storytelling
→ For developing creativity and communication skills.
The training includes:
- interactive techniques for introduction through in medias res;
- exercises for creating visual and text stories with the help of artificial intelligence;
- practices for working with students, teams and audiences of different ages.
If stories are the new currency of attention – in medias res is your golden start.
Are you ready to start your story… right from the middle?
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