Epic conventions are formal characteristics that epic poems generally share in common. Below is a list of them: In medias res A narrative work beginning in medias res (Classical Latin: [ɪn ˈmɛdɪ. aːs ˈreːs], lit. " into the middle of things ") opens in the midst of the plot ( cf. ab ovo, ab initio). Often, exposition is bypassed and filled in gradually, through dialogue, flashbacks or description of past events. In medias res - Wikipedia. “In medias res” is Latin for “in the middle of things”; it means that a narrative begins in the middle of a story's action, rather than at the beginning.