The Trick That Makes Every Story Better: Start In The Middle.

Birds.

The plane jerks. The Captain mutters.

Another impact. A second. Silence.

"Uh oh," the First Officer says.

The instruments flicker. The engines cough.

More silence.

"We got one rolling back."

Silence.

"We got both of them rolling back."

"Ignition, start," the Captain orders, fingers moving fast.

The First Officer reacts. "I’m starting the APU."

The Auxiliary Power Unit hums to life, feeding emergency electricity. But it won’t restart the engines. They’re gliding now.

The Captain presses a button.

"Mayday, mayday, mayday. Uh, this is, uh, Cactus fifteen thirty-nine. Hit birds. We’ve lost thrust in both engines. We’re turning back towards LaGuardia."

A crackle of static. Air Traffic Control comes over the intercom.

"Okay, uh, you need to return to LaGuardia? Turn left heading two two zero."

"Turning left two two zero," the Captain confirms.

The First Officer looks at him. "What do you need me to do?"

"Just find out what’s going on. We lost thrust in both engines. We’re turning back towards LaGuardia."

But they’re losing altitude too fast.

"Cactus fifteen forty-nine, if we can get it for you, do you want to try to land runway one three?"

"We’re unable. We may end up in the Hudson."

"Jetlink twenty-seven ninety-eight, turn left heading two one zero."

"We can’t do it," the Captain says flatly.

The First Officer scans the options. "Which runway would you like at Teterboro?"

A pause.

"Uh, runway one, Teterboro?" ATC asks.

"Yes," the Captain responds.

Another moment. The Captain grips the controls.

Exhales.

"We’re gonna be in the Hudson."

"I’m sorry, say again, Cactus?"

"We’re gonna be in the Hudson."

There are a lot of ways to tell a story.

I could have told you that Captain Sullenberger—"Sully"—landed US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River after hitting a flock of Canadian geese.

I could have even told you that this event is known as the Miracle on the Hudson and shared one of the greatest quotes from Sully himself. In an interview with AARP Magazine, he was asked how he executed a nearly perfect water landing. His response?

But I didn’t do that.

Instead, I dropped you—dear reader—into the middle of the cockpit.

This storytelling technique has a name.

In Medias Res

Latin for "in the middle of things."

It throws the audience directly into a problem or climactic moment without preamble. This does two things:

1. It creates tension, which drives any good story.

2. It makes the audience curious, which keeps them engaged.

We are hardwired to want to know why something started and how it will end. The sooner you tap into that instinct, the sooner your audience is hooked.

This technique is everywhere.

Breaking Bad, for crying out loud, kicks off its addicting series with a nearly naked, middle-aged man in the scorching New Mexico desert.

And you can do this too.

• Start your next email In Medias Res.

• Start your next presentation In Medias Res.

• Start your next coaching call In Medias Res.

Open with a clear, concise, vivid picture of your listener’s biggest problem—something deeply painful.

Like this: "It’s 11:30 PM. The family went to bed hours ago, but the lamp on your home office desk is still on. You stare at a blank screen. You have 48 hours to submit the report, but you feel deflated. Tired. Unmotivated. Today, I want to talk about the three simplest ways to finish your work fast, focused, and forever."

Now withhold some information. Don’t paint the full picture just yet.

Ask if that’s something they’d like to hear more about.

They’re leaning in.

Write on 🤙

Payton “in the middle of things” Minzenmayer

P.S. I sent out 30 audits this week, landed 3 clients, locked 3 more in the pipeline, and received my first online writing payment. No sugarcoating—this took hard work. 4:30 AM wake-ups, deep research, hours of writing, and pushing past my comfort zone. If I can do it, so can you. And if you’re ready to start today, Brandon Storey is your guy.