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.
It's different each time. The first novel was chronological-I started with the first chapter and didn't have the real ending till years later.
My second novel-I have written the last chapter first and then the first chapter. It's such a long journey that the final product might look completely different from whatI have envisioned now.
Sol Stein was a publisher, best-selling author, and award winning teacher of creative writing at American Universities.
He said the problem with many novels was that they sag in the middle. A novel should bulge in the middle, with fleshed-out characters, plot, storyline, and landmarks/dramatic events.
The beginnings and ends were not the biggest problem with novels.
I started at the beginning, but I've also used in medias res. I think it depends on many factors - the subject, the genre, the writer. Suit yourself, and see how it goes. The great thing is, with a computer, you don't have to rewrite it all if you change your mind, just cut & paste the block! Just be awfully careful about the flow when you're editing ...