In Medias Res

Welcome to the Thought Follower, your #1 source of LinkedIn advice & writing tips, wrapped in a fresh anecdote each week. 

If someone forwarded this to you, subscribe here so you don’t miss the next one.

Here’s a beautiful example of one of my favourite storytelling techniques, in medias res, by the late, great John Denver:

All my bags are packed
I'm ready to go
I'm standin' here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye…

These are the opening lines from Leaving On A Jetplane, one of Denver’s earliest tracks. The song also has an eerily tragic feel now…read on to find out why.

This opening stanza is emotive & engaging because it raises questions we’re compelled to get an answer to:

• Why is he leaving?

• Where’s he going?

• Who is he leaving?

• Is this song better than ‘Country Roads’? [A: Yes, yes it is.]

This opening hooks us in because it puts us in medias res, a Latin phrase meaning ‘in the middle of things’.

Starting a story in the middle is a powerful way to get your reader on the edge of their seat quickly.

I love this storytelling technique because it triggers that part of our brain that hates open loops. We can’t look away without knowing what’s led to this point.

Here are two of my favourite examples of in medias res in pop culture:

In medias res is a handy technique for writing on social media. With your story queued up in a bottomless scroll of content, it’s crucial to grab the audience’s attention instantly.

So how do we ‘do’ in medias res?

Simple.

Start by telling the story from top to bottom. Write it all out.

Remember; all good stories have a beginning, a middle & an end. Each part has a distinct purpose:

• Beginning - introduce the characters & the main conflict

• Middle - complications occur; characters experience change

• End - main conflict is resolved, characters grow (usually)

Once you’ve got these 3 elements in your story, reread it and find the bit where the complications start.

Find a key moment - an argument, a revelation, or an unexpected challenge - and bring it up to the beginning of the story. Start there.

To make your opening as punchy as possible, use forceful verbs. Load it full of emotions, thoughts & feelings - all the stuff people can’t see from the outside.

On LinkedIn, in medias res works especially well for stories in which you’re the Hero. You could write about the biggest f$%k up you’ve ever made at work, a time you failed, or something embarrassing happened.

Hook your reader in by throwing them straight into the middle of things, then tell the rest of the story & share the growth you experienced as a result. You’ll have them eating out of the palm of your hand.

The eerie tragedy behind the song…

John Denver was an avid pilot, with over 2,700 hours of flying time.

He sadly died doing what he loved on October 12th, 1997 after his homebuilt light plane crashed into Monterey Bay in California.

This makes Leaving On A Jet Plane all the more emotional; a spooky premonition of sorts. RIP John.

I’d love to hear from you - which John Denver song is your favourite? Jet Plane or Country Roads? Reply & let me know.

Know someone who’d benefit from this gazette? Go on, share the love - forward it to them!