Drop Readers Into the Action: Why In Medias Res Works

Ready for a Latin lesson? I promise it’s not as boring as it sounds. Translated from Latin, in medias res literally means ‘in the middle of things.’

So, why is it better to start there than anywhere else?

It doesn’t matter what genre you write, beginning in the middle of things can be a great way to hook your readers.

What’s going to catch your interest more:

Your protagonist being jostled in a chaotic flash sale and flung into the arms of a grumpy but handsome stranger… or her waking up, taking a phone call from a friend, showering, choosing an outfit, and taking the bus into town? (At which point your reader is thinking of putting the book down and taking their own shopping trip.)

A ten-year-old shivering and cold, crouched behind a gnarled tree as whispers come from all around, and then an almighty roar resounds through the forest… or that same child with six of his friends, all talking at once, line after line of dialogue, and you can’t tell who’s talking or what’s happening? (Is your target child reader going to care about all of these characters at once, or are they going to pick another book that opens with a bang?)

A detective sprinting for cover as an explosion tears through the station, dust and debris raining down, alarms screaming… or her sitting at her desk with a cup of coffee, reading over paperwork before drifting into a flashback about the case she’s working on? (Yep, you guessed it, your reader has gone for coffee themselves!)

I'm not saying the examples above can’t work, that they haven’t worked in some of the bestselling books even, but often, there are better ways.

But My Story’s Slow Burn!

I hear you, sitting there saying, ‘But my book doesn’t call for huge action.’

And you’re right, not every book calls for a Hollywood budget and pyrotechnics. The good news? Starting in medias res doesn’t have to be big and flashy. Witnessing something, being the calm in the centre of the storm, your protagonist pausing as their world tilts – that’s action, too. And it’s enough to pull your reader in.

Action can be internal, emotional, or observational. It doesn’t have to be explosive. A quiet implosion can be just as captivating as that all-action explosion. How many times have you leaned closer when someone whispers, wanting to overhear that thing you’re not meant to know? Held your breath before making a decision, taking a chance, or revealing a confession? See, those quiet moments can be just as intriguing.

If it makes your reader wonder, you’re doing it right.

Essentially, you want to intrigue them, not fatigue them.

How did we get here?

What happened to make him feel this way?

What happens next?

It’s the questions you want. The desire to know your protagonist's next move.

The moment draws them in. Curiosity keeps them reading.

What in Medias Res does well

Creates Instant Engagement: Starting in the middle of the action hooks your readers. It lets them immediately feel the tension and suspense. And most importantly, it lets them connect with your protagonist straight away – they’re right there with them, living and breathing that moment alongside them.

If you only get a minute to grab your reader – a quick ‘look inside’ to potential buyers, a few chapters for that agent you want to impress – do you want them to get right to the action, or do you want to tell them your main character had fish fingers for tea?

Encourages Questions: If your reader asks themselves what’s happening, who that person is, and how they ended up there, you’ve got them. And those questions only keep coming as the conflict and tension build. Once they’re invested, they’ll keep reading.

Allows Discovery: Starting your story with a chapter of backstory, a flashback, or three pages of exposition that dumps so much information the only thing left to discover is their inside leg measurement can create a distance between your protagonist and your reader. If they feel like they know the character right up front, what else is left to learn? We want to go on a journey with your MC, grow alongside them, have truths and details revealed along the way. Like an organic relationship, we want to peel back their layers as we go. When we can do that, those flashbacks and backstories land far better.

Enables Foreshadowing Potential:

Starting in medias res gives you the opportunity to leave clues as a taste of what’s to come. As the reader comes in part way through the action, it naturally creates mystery, and a little, well-placed hint here and there during this can spark reader curiosity, making them search for meaning within the scene. That off-the-cuff remark, that strange symbol, the emotional tension, a look, a tone, that hint of a backstory – they’ll be questioning what everything means. And that’s exactly what you want.

Keeps Pace: If your reader has to wade through three chapters of worldbuilding, scene setting, and info-dumping, they might just decide it’s not worth it and put the book down. Grab that reader by the hand and pull them into the story. By keeping your opening full of interest and intrigue, the pace keeps momentum moving and your reader reading.

Showcases Your Setting: Dropping your reader right into the thick of it lets them explore the world you’ve created for your characters. Whether that be a sweet seaside town or a vast galaxy of alien planets, it doesn’t matter, because they’re getting to feel, touch, taste, and smell it, learn the rules of it. And showing them is far better than telling.

Reveals Character: Having your MC immediately deal with something highlights their strength of character, it tests them, shows how they react in that situation. This can tell a reader a lot about the sort of person they’re about to go on a journey with.

Does it Work for All Genres?

There are the obvious thrillers, adventures, mysteries, and horror where action and suspense work brilliantly, and those genres, such as sci-fi and fantasy, that explore places and worlds we can only imagine, can lean right into starting where something fantastical is happening. Even romance, dramas, and literary fiction can, with care, use the emotional beats to show the character context needed – a departure, a first meeting – something where the reader has to wait to find out why or what or how.

There are those where it doesn’t work as well, such as where the story is told through diary entries or letters. Those types of epistolary novels often require a chronological order of events. Anything high-concept or experimental can also be tricky to manage, as they rely more on the setup or voice and tone.

Use in medias res when:

You want to start with high-interest and high-stakes.

You want to create an instant connection to your protagonist.

There’s a key plot point that shapes the story.

Your world would need a lot of explaining without it.

In short, in medias res is a way to skip to the good bits. Start with purpose, be that loud or quiet, emotional, physical, or psychological – and your reader will be hooked.

Not sure if your story starts in the right place (or risks sending your reader to sleep)? Check out my Chapter One Checklist: Make sure your story starts where it should and find out.