In Medias Res: Starting a Story in the Middle

Posted on July 27, 2022 by Charles Yallowitz

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This is what caused me to think up this week’s topic: IN MEDIAS RES.  I’d never heard of it even though I’m sure I’ve seen it.  This is very popular in film noir, but it shows up in plenty of other mediums.  So, what is it?

In medias res is when a story starts in the middle of the action.  Typically, it is an action section that goes for a bit until the previous events can be shown.  This helps in drawing in a reader and making them very curious.  For example, Odyssey starts with Odysseus captured by Calypso and he tells her his adventures.  This storytelling is what shows us everything that happened prior to him becoming a captive.  Eventually, the story catches back up with the beginning and then it proceeds into the final act.  So, you’re really switching Acts 1 and 2 around here.

As you can see, the events that happened prior to the beginning need to be explained in some fashion.  If you only do it with an info dump then your middle will be more of a true beginning.  So, you can utilize flashbacks that are being told through the point of view of your protagonist.  In the example above, it’s Odysseus telling his story to Calypso.  Having the protagonist tell the story to another person is fairly common.  Other ways to do it is simply having them remember stuff that led up to their current situation.  Cartoons and movies love that one.  Many times you get the scene freeze and a comical ‘I bet you’re wondering how I got here’ voiceover.  It still works as a transition.

In medias res can work pretty well for either plotters or pantsers.  The former can make their outlines and simply move a few things around.  The story still works and they now have an initial goal to reach before heading for the finale.  With a pantser, they don’t have to make a plan, but now they have a general direction to go.  This can create some level of reigning in to avoid going so far off the plot that the story doesn’t hold water.  Now, you can wander off and the readers will be okay with it since they know you’re heading in the right direction at some point.

While this technique is mostly found in epics and film noir, you can find more mainstream versions of it.  Two examples are:

  1. Deadpool–  Breaking of the 4th wall can lead to in medias res.  The action starts with him having his powers and going after targets.  Then, he starts talking to the audience and this leads to the flashback/origin part.  Eventually, the story catches up and we move into the final act.  This is a fairly common method since comedy and talking directly to the audience helps with the transition.
  2. Star Wars: A New Hope–  I did read that there are some debates on this one.  I’m leaning towards maybe, but not because it’s labeled as Episode IV.  You can do that and never touch on the previous episodes for influence.  I mean, we spent how many years with only Episodes IV-VII before I-III came out?  No, the reason this movie can be In Medias Res is that you start right in the action with Princess Leia trying to get away with the Death Star plans.  The events of the movie have already begun and are at a higher pitch than if we began with them doing the actual theft.  Yet, we never really flashback or do anything to jump to that previous part of the story.  We aren’t counting ‘Rogue One’ here.  You technically have the middle of the Skywalker Saga, but the start of its own story.  So, things can get shaky here.

It is surprising how often we see this and never think twice.  Makes me wonder how often we do this in casual storytelling.  Not actual writing, but like when we tell a person about an experience or idea.  Can we get away with starting in the middle of that when it’s not really a story?  It’s just relaying an idea.  Might be going in the wrong direction at this point.

What do you think of in medias res?  Ever use it?

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Things in Books that Annoy Readers

Posted on July 27, 2022 by Charles Yallowitz

Hello SEers, It’s John again. Happy Hump Day. Today I want to talk about things that annoy readers. In doing so, maybe we can all avoid putting …

Things in Books that Annoy Readers
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Teaser Tuesday: Everyone Wants Darwin

Posted on July 26, 2022 by Charles Yallowitz

As I said, the action scenes are different for Darwin.  He runs away and causes chaos a lot, so you won’t get tons of head-t0-head battles.  That’s just not his style.  So, I hope this gives you a decent idea of how he operates.  Also that Darwin just can’t catch a break in his adventure.

*****

Too panicked to think clearly, Darwin is unable to escape Zynth and the guards, who are slowed by the citizens. The halfling shouts his spells over his shoulder, but he cannot figure out how to aim without looking and always puts random people to sleep. His wand of angry growls is gripped tightly in one hand, which is constantly swinging. Everything from wagons to a terrified woman’s shoe unleash rage-filled noises, which startle the nervous populace. The chaos helps Darwin weave through the legs of the taller people, who unwittingly get in the way of the guards. For a second, the halfling thinks he hears Zynth shouting for the citizens to go inside, but the elf’s voice is drowned out by an entire building growling in fury. He risks glancing over his shoulder and yelps at how close the guards are since he is slowing down. Screaming sleep at the top of his lungs, Darwin knocks out two of the pursuing soldiers and twelve bystanders. Three of his victims fall into Zynth’s path and he lands hard on his face with his fingers grazing his target’s leg.

Scared by the faint contact, Darwin sprints away with the determined guard scrambling after him while trying to get to his feet. Coming to an intersection, the halfling runs for a corner only to spot a spearman waiting. He makes a sudden turn and heads for the other side of the street in time to narrowly avoid getting caught. Ducking under a flying tackle from Zynth, Darwin veers away from a woman swinging a sticky net. Her weapon catches the elf by the arm and he is yanked back at the same time she is pulled off-balance. Both guards collapse into heaps while the halfling tries to go back the way he came. Seeing more soldiers heading his way, he closes his eyes and windmills his arms as if throwing his sleep spells. Every shout knocks out a handful of people until those still standing are tripping over the slumbering forms.

Hearing a booted footstep behind him, Darwin snaps out of his attacking and blindly runs away. He hears a muttered curse from whoever had tried to catch him, which is followed by the crack of the person breaking their nose on the ground. Unwilling to look back, he charges into the thickening crowd and moves among their legs as if they were a tightly packed forest. Women scream whenever he scrambles beneath their skirts and men stomp if they notice him getting too close. A guard hiding within the crowd nearly grabs Darwin, but a puff of fur hits him in the face to become an angry ferret. The terrified warrior shrieks and flails, which creates enough space for the halfling to get by and dive between two chuckling elves. He continues to crawl and slip his way through the citizens, whose curiosity at the noises is helping him gain some distance from the guards. There are still shouts for people to grab a suspicious halfling, but the confusion makes it impossible for anyone to know who they are talking about. A few bystanders who try to catch Darwin are put to sleep the instant they make contact. The spell always go wider than he intends and several of the people standing nearby collapse along with the real target.

To his surprise, the halfling abruptly comes out of the crowd and finds himself in an open park. The green grass and trees seem out of place among the buildings until he spots a river flowing out of the ground. A white marble cap covers the opening and he notices matching slabs running along the sides, each one topped with a railing. Mesmerized by the curious sight, he wanders over to the edge and gazes into the water. Large catfish can be seen beneath the surface and one rises up to spit at the halfling. The force is enough to knock Darwin away from the railing a second before he hears a metal ping. Unsure if he really heard the noise, the halfling turns to head back to the buildings, but pauses when an object bounces against his heel. Glancing at the ground, he finds a feathered dart embedded in the dirt where his foot had been a moment earlier.

“You are under arrest!” a voice bellows.

“This one is mine, Wendell!” a woman snaps from the other direction.

Posted in Slumberlord Chronicles, Teaser Tuesday | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Starting Stories at the Start

Posted on July 25, 2022 by Charles Yallowitz

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Did you know that a story can start at any point?  I’m sure most people did, but they aren’t always easy to pull off.  I’ve never had the urge to start a story from the middle or the end, but I’ve seen it done.  Sometimes it’s amazing.  Other times, it’s incredibly clunky because the pacing was off.  That’s how it goes.  Let’s take a look at the 3 ways of doing this.

I’m starting with the traditional one where you start at the beginning.  This can take various forms, but they all work the same way.  Events go in chronological order with no backtracking unless you’re showing synchronous events.  That’s not really time jumping, but showing two scenes that are happening at the same time.  The beginning of the story is still the beginning.  So, how can this be done?

  1. One way is to jump right into the action.  The first page is where everything is starting and any background will be explained/discovered down the road.  This creates a fast-paced experience, which may have to be maintained for the entire work.  It’s a risk starting off so strong because weakening for too long will turn readers off even if the downswing makes sense.  Still, this is a popular method that can easily be adjusted for what you need.
  2. Historical prologues are another way to start at the beginning without jumping right into the action.  This ‘first chapter’ shows the world and events leading up to the real story.  It reduces the need to explain a lot down the road beyond the characters learning about the past.  With these scenes, you don’t need to do a full info dump, especially if this is an event that is well-known.  It doesn’t always start off as powerful as the first method because it’s more for setting the stage than driving into the action.
  3. A mellow beginning can be done as either a prologue or first chapter.  This may sound like it’s bad advice since we’re told to start off with a strong hook.  Yet, this can be done to create mystery, but, more importantly, show what is leading into the events.  You can even establish what normal life is before the story shakes it to the core.  So, don’t always overlook this type of beginning.

There are probably a lot more ways to start at the beginning.  I’d say it’s the most flexible of the three methods.  That’s why there isn’t much else to say about it.  I’ll open the floor to others in the comments.  Enjoy.

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WRITING AND COMMON MISTAKES

Posted on July 25, 2022 by Charles Yallowitz

Hi SEers! Denise here to talk about common grammar errors in writing. Back in the day, run-on sentences used to be a big problem. My teachers would …

WRITING AND COMMON MISTAKES
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The Endangered Giants: Elephants

Posted on July 24, 2022 by Charles Yallowitz

I was surprised to see that I never made an animal post about elephants.  Didn’t even have them on my list.  Maybe I did it and can’t find it, but you would think they would be early in my posting of endangered animals.  After all, most people know about elephants and how they are endangered.

The World Wildlife Organization has a great site about them.  I’ll paraphrase since I don’t think I have to explain much.

There are two species:

  • The African Elephant is the bigger one with the subspecies of the Savanna Elephant and Forest Elephant.  The Savanna one is the most common subspecies and what you probably think of first. They live on the plains and is the largest of the elephants.  The Forest subspecies is more elusive since they live in rainforests.  Differences between the two include ear size, tusk size, and family size.  For example, Savanna Elephants usually have family units of 10 females while Forest Elephants have family units of 20 individuals.
  • The Asian Elephant is smaller and has four subspecies.  The Indian Elephant is probably the most commonly thought of one.  The Sumatran Elephant is another and they both have similar information.  The Sri Lankan Elephant is highly endangered and there is even a death penalty if you kill one.  Finally, the Bornean Elephant is the smallest of the species and is also called the Borneo Pygmy Elephant since it gets to only 8.2-9.8 feet tall.

Elephants are highly endangered for a variety of reasons.  The biggest one is poaching because there is a market for their tusks.  This is similar to rhino’s and their horns.  In 1989, ivory trading was made illegal, which helped to some extent.  Yet, the problem got bad once more in 2010 when there people in Asian countries renewed their interest in elephant ivory.  The US and UK became problem areas as well.  On some positive news, the biggest market for elephant ivory was China, who banned the trading of it at the start of 2018.  This was a big victory.

Of course, there are other threats.  Habit loss is one that leads to encounters between people and elephants.  This causes conflicts, especially if an elephant starts eating crops or damaging property.  Sometimes, a person may be killed by an elephant because these are wild animals.  The response from people can end up being a retaliatory killing of the elephant.  This stems from anger over losing a loved one and the fear that the animal will take more lives.  Erecting barriers to keep the elephants in the wild is one way to help, but more importantly is educating locals about their neighbors.

So, let’s get to the pictures.  All found with Google Image Search.  Starting with the 2 African subspecies and then the 4 Asian subspecies.

Forest Elephant

Savanna Elephant

Bornean Pygmy Elephant

Indian Elephant

Sri Lankan Elephant

Sumatran Elephant

Gotta have some videos:

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Goal Post: Another Book in the Books

Posted on July 23, 2022 by Charles Yallowitz

So, we have a little bit of a heatwave around here.  I know those who live in hot states will scoff at our high 90’s temperatures.  The truth is that we’re not used to it and I don’t think our homes were designed to be cool.  Feels like this place was designed more to contain heat, which sucks during this weather.  Opening a window resulted in warm air coming and no relief.  So, the new air conditioner has been getting a work out.  That’s made progressing rather rough too.

Last weekend, I got to do a few fun things with my son.  We watched a Netflix movie called ‘The Sea Beast’, which I recommend.  It’s like ‘How to Train Your Dragon’, but with sea monsters.  We took a walk at a marine nature study area.  Got to see the nesting ospreys, who weren’t hiding this time around.  The highlight was getting a video of a heron battling a crab.  We saw the heron on the side of the walkway and were going to sneak by, but it moved about ten feet away from us with the crab.  So, we watched the battle until the heron managed to swallow its prey.  My son was telling every photographer and visitor about it.  Can’t say I blame him.

Rest of the week has been the usual.  I’m still having days where I’m worn down and get rather forgetful.  They’re not as common as they were last week, so I’m definitely getting better.  Had a midweek scare when I woke up with a cough and panicked myself into thinking I caught covid again.  Took a test and it was negative, which relaxed me enough that I went back to normal.  So, I need to make sure to think things through.  Hard to do when I wake up and have to move quickly to get my son ready for camp.

Let’s get to the big event:

I finished writing Darwin & the Halfling Hunt yesterday afternoon.  I was hoping to finish it midweek, but the exhaustion and a change in schedule threw things off.  It didn’t help that I finished a section that was mostly talking and broke down crying because I thought I sucked.  Never had that happen before.  Guess that was my first real taste of Imposter Syndrome, but I don’t think I’m successful enough for that to happen.  It must have been something else that went away as I got to the final battle chapter.  Still, it’s been haunting me for a while.  Probably should have brought that up in therapy.

Speaking of the final battle chapter, Darwin continues to drive me nuts.  I don’t know if I’ve lost my ability to write lengthy, detailed fight scenes or he just refuses to do it.  Even when his friends were battling without him, the events went fairly quickly when compared to my older stuff.  Not a lot of bantering though, which might explain things.  One villain wasn’t in a chatty state and the other got frustrated with Darwin after half a page.  The odd thing is that Darwin can have really exciting and big chase scenes.  Yet, him actually standing his ground and fighting results in shorter sections.  It has to be due to his unaggressive nature and sleep magic.  He simply isn’t the type to go toe-to-toe with an enemy like Clyde and Luke Callindor.  It’s either luck or a ‘Darwin logic’ plan that ends things abruptly.  Now, I’m just rambling.

My plan is to take a few days off from book writing.  Today will be resting up and maybe fiddling in a notebook.  Tomorrow I’m going to hang out with a friend for the day before my son comes home.  I think I’ll take Monday and maybe Tuesday to rest up too.  It’s hard to figure out since my son’s 13th birthday is Thursday and the party is being thrown next weekend.  I’ve planned as much as I can, so I don’t know what else I can do while he’s at camp or his mom’s place.  Darwin & the Avenging Elf might get tackled earlier just to keep my mind busy.

I’ll probably be binging a few shows too.  I got 7 episodes into ‘Vinland Saga’ and got too bored to keep going.  I switched to an anime called ‘Ranking of Kings’ where the main character is deaf and mute.  He’s a cursed boy who is very small and can’t increase his physical strength at all.  Yet, he’s finding other ways to become the strongest in the kingdom.  I really like it.  Not sure what I want to tackle after that.  Keep coming back to ‘Umbrella Academy’, but I also keep thinking that I’m not in the mood.  Not sure what I’m waiting for, but it could be that I’ve still got ‘The Boys’ clear in my mind.  I might finish up the ‘Food Wars’ anime even though there’s nowhere I can find season 3.  Just to get that one off the list.

Plan for the week?

  1. Plan and celebrate son’s birthday.
  2. Get tickets to ‘DC League of Super-Pets’.
  3. Hang out with friend tomorrow.
  4. Sleep in a few mornings.
  5. Start writing Darwin & the Avenging Elf.
  6. Notebook work.
  7. Fit in as many ‘One Piece’ episodes as we can. Our plan to reach a specific story arc this summer might come up short.  (42 episodes to go and maybe a month to watch them.)
  8. Start making a topic list for November.
Posted in Goal Posts | Tagged , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

7 Tips to Writing Hot/Sunny Day Battles

Posted on July 22, 2022 by Charles Yallowitz

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We’ve had rain and snow, so now let’s go to their opposite.  A sunny day that might be really hot.  You’d think the risks and issues with this day are minimal.  It’s basically the standard fighting weather when you don’t want to do anything special.  Still, there are a few ways to spice things up.

  1. Hot weather is a brutal on a body that’s in motion, especially if that body is dressed in armor.  Muscles cramps are possible and the risk gets higher as the character continues fighting.  Vision can blur if things go on for too long and breathing will become labored if there aren’t any chances to cool off.  Think of a warrior like a computer here.  If they keep going without any way to reduce their temperature, they’re going to crash and it won’t be pretty.
  2. With heat and exertion comes sweat.  Aside from the smell, this can lead to a few minor issues.  Anybody be working out and get sweat in your eyes?  It stings and can blind you for a bit.  At least when exercising, you can pause to rub at your eyes.  In battle, you have to push through and keep fighting.  If a character isn’t wearing gloves them their hands can become slippery.  One with limited experience can find themselves swinging wildly out of exhaustion and sending their weapon spinning away.  It’s a foolish accident, but still a possibility.
  3. If we’re talking a heat wave that’s lasted a while, the fight could happen in a desolated area.  Water would be minimal if available at all, which means not much to cool off or drink prior to the fight.  The ground can become cracked and crumble easily as combatants move around.  This may lead to tripping or slowed movement similar to mud.  Like with frozen ground, hitting this earth can stun because it could be dry and hard.  Of course, this is extreme heat instead of the ‘nice day’.
  4. Let’s talk about the sun, which is responsible for the heat.  It can also be the source of sudden blindness.  The light can hit a warrior in the eyes if they look up at the wrong time.  A way to avoid this is to have them remember where the sun is, so they won’t look in that direction.  Of course, that isn’t foolproof.  If you have a lot of warriors in metal armor then you have a chance at polished spots reflecting light.  It’s similar to using a mirror to bounce beams and it can accidentally blind a person if bright enough.
  5. A lot of sun can mean a lack of shadows in some terrains.  This means there are very few places for enemies to hide.  It’s why ambushes tend to happen at night, during bad weather, or in areas with a lot of cover.  If you have a sunny day in an open plain or hilly region then it might not be possible to hide.  Even forests can be an issue because the good weather can draw out enough animals that they’ll be spooked by the intrusion of warriors.
  6. Characters can be lulled into a false sense of security by a sunny day.  They won’t think of the dangers of traveling since there isn’t any clear sign of danger.  We’ve all been there on summer days.  The weather is so nice that we get lazy without realizing our guard is dropping.  I’ve found that there’s a higher chance if you spend a lot of time stressed and then hit this pleasant body.  You think it’s a chance to relax, which is fine for real life.  During an adventure, this instinct can cause trouble and mean that they start the fight in a weaker mindset.
  7. Even with the negatives I mentioned, the hot and sunny day is easier to pull off without making the weather a major factor.  Most readers won’t pick up on these patterns in the same way they think of rain, snow, fog, hail, frogs, and meteors.  So, this is the perfect weather pattern to use if you don’t want the environment to be a major factor in the battle.
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Characters and Diversity. Part 2 – Wealth

Posted on July 22, 2022 by Charles Yallowitz

Hello Story Empire friends, Gwen with you today. Last month I initiated a series on including diversity in our stories. I explained that I would …

Characters and Diversity. Part 2 – Wealth
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Poetry Day: Blitzkrieg of Alarms

Posted on July 21, 2022 by Charles Yallowitz

(Written after an insanely noisy night.  How anyone else in the house slept through that is beyond me.)

Singing bird outside my window.

Joined by honking horns.

Sirens blaring two streets down.

Setting off three barking dogs.

A pair of wildcats being to fighting.

Knocking garbage cans about.

Early workers starting engines.

Late night shifters slam car doors.

A pack of people shouting high.

Shattering bottles as they pass.

A car alarm overtakes them all.

The baby cries until all noises stop.

Five minutes pass to sleep again.

Then the damn alarm goes off.

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