I’ve had a lot of
questions lately regarding scenes and chapter breaks. While there is no
steadfast rule with regard to where a scene break should occur or when the
story should advance to another chapter, here is a little food for thought.
questions lately regarding scenes and chapter breaks. While there is no
steadfast rule with regard to where a scene break should occur or when the
story should advance to another chapter, here is a little food for thought.
In a contemporary
romance, if the events in two scenes occur during the same day, giving each
point-of-view (POV) character a scene is fun to do. This does not mean that the
events have to occur at the same time or in the same place. Actually, if the
event is one and the same, and the POV character is switched, a good
self-editor will review the scenes to determine if there actually needs to be
any break at all.
romance, if the events in two scenes occur during the same day, giving each
point-of-view (POV) character a scene is fun to do. This does not mean that the
events have to occur at the same time or in the same place. Actually, if the
event is one and the same, and the POV character is switched, a good
self-editor will review the scenes to determine if there actually needs to be
any break at all.
When reviewing
such scenes, and for all scenes, the first question to ask is, “Which character
has the most to win or to lose in the scene?” That character should be the POV
character.
such scenes, and for all scenes, the first question to ask is, “Which character
has the most to win or to lose in the scene?” That character should be the POV
character.
If the story is
romantic suspense and the villain requires a POV on that same day, an author
may do one of two things: if the villain’s POV doesn’t require a specific
emphasis, allow it to be the third scene for that chapter. If the villain is
particularly devious or the author wants to let him standout a bit, the villain
may actually be given his own scene.
romantic suspense and the villain requires a POV on that same day, an author
may do one of two things: if the villain’s POV doesn’t require a specific
emphasis, allow it to be the third scene for that chapter. If the villain is
particularly devious or the author wants to let him standout a bit, the villain
may actually be given his own scene.
If a scene occurs
in the same day, but the actions of the hero or heroine are removed a bit from
the last scene or if that scene requires emphasis, this might be a good place
for a chapter break.
in the same day, but the actions of the hero or heroine are removed a bit from
the last scene or if that scene requires emphasis, this might be a good place
for a chapter break.
As you can see,
scene and chapter breaks are decisions that can work to build an author’s
voice.
scene and chapter breaks are decisions that can work to build an author’s
voice.
The one mistake an author wants to check against is a tendency to be
episodic and to include smaller scenes of a paragraph or so. When an author finds a number of short scenes like this, he should look for areas where that information can easily be integrated to scenes
that come before or after.
episodic and to include smaller scenes of a paragraph or so. When an author finds a number of short scenes like this, he should look for areas where that information can easily be integrated to scenes
that come before or after.
Happy editing.
