A sequel is the part after a piece of action where the characters reflects on what happened. Guys shoots someone: that's a "scene". Guy angsts about shooting someone: that would likely be part of the "sequel". I don't know too much about Kill Bill. Is the second chapter all about the characters reacting to the coma and the wedding?
second chapter... is The Bride going to kill Vivica V. Fox...and when it's done, you see that she has already scratched off the name "O-ren-ishi" meaning she had killed her already...so yes, in a way it's a sequel...it's also non-linear story writing too...
If she kills the person in the chapter, it likely has a scene involved, and so, while it is non-linear writing, it's not really putting the sequel before the scene as far as I can tell from your description.
in many ways it is... Because it's all based off the "Deadly Vipers" attempting to kill her at her wedding..with Bill shooting her in the head and leaving her for dead. MOF, you don't even know why she's trying to kill Vivica Fox until they show that scene AFTER she kills her...so it's more like a sequel because its an event that happens AFTER the event that leads up to it... Actually, its almost easier to see the movie then explain it..LOL
A sequel is not just what happens after. It's the character's mental reaction. If the Bride is on her way to kill someone, she has already passed the last step in the sequel--the choice about what she will do next(kill fox)--and moved into a new scene.
I have a question or two. I change scenes quite a bit in my writing. Should I go back and try to fill in the gaps with dialogue or something? And, do you think it looks bad if the scenes abruptly change more than once or twice in a chapter, or should the scene start a new chapter? Just looking for opinions! thanks.
I only have one scene in each chapter. It doesn't matter how short the chapters are, they're there to change the perspective, time, and place, so use them.
That's a very workable approach. However, you could also separate chapters at POV changes, or major time transitions (e.g. each day is a new chapter), or any of a number of cut points. If you need to change scene within a chapter, you can either handle it with a new paragraph, with the opening sentence showing the change, or with a section break consisting of a single # centered in a line by itself. A scene change does at least call for a new paragraph.
Thank you. I do start a new paragraph at a scene change or with a section break, but what if I have three within one chapter? Does it look bad? Or should I just start a new chapter? I know I am repeating myself...sorry
I've seen plenty of novels with several scenes within a chapter, and no section breaks. Neverteless, there is no doubt that a scene change is taking place.
It doesn't matter so much if the scene changes multiple times within your chapter so long as they are logically linked...if the two scenes aren't similar in terms of tone/theme/subject then it may not make sense to have them in the same chapter...
Also, make sure to let your reader know that a scene is changing. There are a few ways to do it, but it really depends on what viewpoint the story is being told from.
Yeah, exactly. I change scenes lots of times within a chapter, and other times a chapter is only one scene, it just depends. It's more the overall flow of what the chapter is trying to show that matters to me (At least with how I define chapters). For example, if in a given chapter I am trying to demonstrate tension between two characters, I might start with some narration of the MC thinking about how the other character annoys her, and then I might go into an action/dialogue scene from later in the same week demonstrating the tension somehow. It just depends on what's going on. I don't think there are really any rules, you just want it to flow and make sense.
No, they aren't bad, but best practice is to only use them where you need the scene change to stand out more than usual, but not enough for a chapter break.
In my opinion, section breaks interrupt the flow of things. If it means having to have shorter chapters, I'd do it. I believe the book Holes had well over fifty chapters, and it wasn't that thick of a book.
It's a story. If you need to change scenes to tell it better then do so. If your changes flow well into each other and aren't so sudden, then you're fine.
The current novel I'm reading moves from one scene to another by leaving a line between paragraphs. On the contrary, I have been working hard at trying to blend the scenes together, but it's proving difficult to keep interesting. I have been googling and reading up on this today and it seems it's fairly acceptable to simply leave a space to indicate a scene change. Also, I am having trouble when there are weeks between scenes. I feel the need to fill in the blanks for the reader when it's actually quite boring. Can I ask what do you do? I know every one is different but any thoughts are appreciated. Cheers
As far as scene changes, it was always my understanding that a scene change is indicated thus: *** Like so. At least that's what Orson Scott Card said in his book on character and POV. For the other thing, large timeskips in between scene, I think if there's that great a distance between them you should start a new chapter, unless there is a good reason to do otherwise.
Well I don't know what books you've read so I can point out examples of how those authors handled it. I'd recommend you pull out 3 favorite books and see exactly how the scene changes were handled.
I think it differs from author to author. My favorite author James Patterson uses really short chapters to make scene changes. But the short chapters can be for a multitude of other reasons but it helps. I have also adopted this style but i think it varies, i've seen double line spaces, the three asterix Smithy mentioned, simple periods in the middle of the page. I'd take marina's advice if you still can't decide.
My understanding was that scene changes were indicated by a line break, with asterisks used only when such a line break would fall at the bottom of a page, to clarify the scene change.
I had an English teacher in high school who was also a professional writer. I still remember him looking over a piece I was very proud of and saying, "You'd be a very boring god." I did what anyone else would do, I nodded, pretended I understood what he was saying, and scanned my paper for the grade. He didn't let it go at that. "God knows everything," he continued, "but he doesn't always share it all. Why? Probably because life would be boring if he did or he just doesn't get cable. When you write your story, throw everything into it. Once it is finished, focus on the plot itself and anything that isn't essential - toss. Let your characters and readers fill in a few blanks if they care so much. In most cases they won't, like us they'll be happy if, at the end of it all, God lets things work out." Hope it helps, ~R
Technically scene changes within the chapter should be cut off with or rather POV changes: *** However again it is personal preference. I only use the above aterixes when it is a heavy switch for the reader. For instance, to pass a long time or a heavy POV change. I base it on a feeling really. Heavy switch, light switch. Sometimes the three asterixes break up the flow too much. Great book, everyone should read.
A section break is indicated in manuscript by a line containing a single centered # sign. In print, these are usually indicated by a blank line, or three widely spaced marks (or some other graphic marker) if the break falls on a page boundary. However, that is only for the published piece, NOT for a manuscript. Don't confuse this kind of section break with the section break in Microsoft Word, which is usually used to separate chapters, or to change the numbering scheme or header/footer content. A section break separates scenes within a chapter, but not every scene transition needs to be marked with a section break. Some transitions flow well enough from the narrative that no visual break is necessary or even desirable. But if there is a discontinuity in time, or a POV change along with a change of setting, you should probably insert a section break.
