Did you steam in Medias Res on the first page, or start somewhere in the middle? Perhaps you started at the end and worked backwards.
Did you steam in Medias Res on the first page, or start somewhere in the middle? Perhaps you started at the end and worked backwards.
I think even if you think you are starting at the beginning you are still medias res to a certain extent because there is always something before and always something after... or is that a bit too post modern?
I really struggled to find my beginning. It is how I started, at the beginning, but as the story developed and more characters and locations were added and I got a handle of the overall direction, this beginning was pushed back and new chapters moved in. Even then, I was editing the new first scene for around nine months before I was anywhere near happy with it. Being a dream sequence, which is generally considered a no-no and cliché these days, still not sure, but it does have a twist on the cliché.
My struggle for the moment is the ending. I know how it ends, it's just taking an age to get there.
Don't ask me why, but my stories always work themselves backwards. Most of the story has already happened and is portrayed through flashbacks and memories. I don't know if this is a good structure, and it'll be worse if I can't pull it off, but that's how it works.
So, in answer to your question, I start at the begining, but get the past events involved at.... roughly the 7th chapter (1/3 into the book) even though there is a flashback in chapter 4.