What type of plot structure allows authors to “come late” to their own story?

in medias res

episodic plot structure

parallel plot structure

flash-forward

The plot structure that allows authors to 'come late' to their own story is in medias res. It is a Latin term which basically means 'into the middle of things.' Sometimes authors don't want to bother giving their characters a backstory, but rather begin the novel in the middle. An example would be Gaiman's 'American Gods,' because we don't see each of the gods' history in the beginning.