Using * within your chapters...

jennifer75 · Aug 25, 2008

When is one used, and what exactly is it telling us - if not a new chapter?

DeleyanLee · Aug 25, 2008

I haven't a clue--but I'm interested in the answer. I can't say that I've ever used one in my writing.

geardrops · Aug 25, 2008

... what?

I need a context. I'm automatically thinking footnotes and the like, so I'm not sure what you're talking about, specifically.

Shadow_Ferret · Aug 25, 2008

An asterisk? In fiction? I haven't a clue. In non-fiction it's for footnotes. Although if you use a lot, then you'd use superscript numerals.

Or do you mean like this?

***

Between paragraphs? Then it's tell you that's a minor break. It's not big enough to be worthy of a new chapter break, its a small one. Like a coffee break.

jennifer75 · Aug 25, 2008

dempsey said:
... what?

I need a context. I'm automatically thinking footnotes and the like, so I'm not sure what you're talking about, specifically.

Chapter 1

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*

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Chapter 2

repeat.

It almost looks like it indicates a new scene within that chapter.

Marko Kloos · Aug 25, 2008

Scene breaks are usually denoted with #. (At least that's what I was taught.)

Shadow_Ferret · Aug 25, 2008

I've never seen just one. Usually it's 3. Like *** or ###.

jennifer75 · Aug 25, 2008

Marko Kloos said:
Scene breaks are usually denoted with #. (At least that's what I was taught.)

Is this something we'd see only in a script?

jennifer75 · Aug 25, 2008

Shadow_Ferret said:
I've never seen just one. Usually it's 3. Like *** or ###.

Ok, so what do they mean? Any idea?

Shadow_Ferret · Aug 25, 2008

I just found this in a publisher's guidelines:

SCENE BREAKS: Center three asterisks (* * *) below the last sentence in the scene. Skip one line and start the next scene flush-left with the first word in ALL CAPS.

Although I don't follow the ALL CAPS rules for the next line, I just start it as I do any other paragraph.

Ziljon · Aug 25, 2008

From Cathy C's formatting Manuscripts for submission sticky:

Scene Breaks (same as line breaks, but sometimes named differently)
Definition: When moving forward in time, to a different location, or to a different person’s perspective in fiction WITHOUT ending the chapter, an scene break is called for.
Use in industry: One of the most confusing issues in writing, a "scene break" is also considered a line break or POV switch. An author should either use an extra double space (the ONLY time when this is acceptable) or a single or double hash mark ("#", found above the number 3 on the keyboard), against the left margin to indicate a line break.

Here's the whole page.

Ms Hollands · Aug 25, 2008

Is this not something that gets added in during editing, depending on whether the publisher uses asterisks or not? I don't really know, but it seems loigical to me that way. :Shrug:

veinglory · Aug 25, 2008

Looks like a scene break to me. The hash mark (#) is standard for that but pretty much any character used that way would have the same effect.

chronomodra · Aug 25, 2008

They indicate a scene break.

Deciding whether to use a scene break or a chapter break is the author's personal decision. In general, though, a scene break is used when the author wants to either show a passage of time or a change in viewpoint, but wants to continue on the same 'subject' as the rest of the chapter.

Gillhoughly · Aug 25, 2008

:editor's hat on:

Use # for a break within a chapter.
Center it if possible.
You can use # # # to make it clear it's not a typo.
I won't mind. Really, I won't.

Use * for footnotes. My program puts them in automatically when I need a footnote, but it can put in numbers, too.

Do *not* use *s for **emphasis** or I will think you're spending too much time blogging or texting or whatever it is this week.

That's why we have underlining and italics.

# # #

*Good luck.*

geardrops · Aug 25, 2008

Oh. I see.

I use a single hash mark (#). As stated previously, denotes a scene break.

Think of Star Wars: A New Hope. You know how they would do a wipe to clear from, say, Tattooine to an Imperial meeting? If that were a novel, between those two bits, you'd see a # mark.

jennifer75 · Aug 25, 2008

OK, how about using scene breaks in a chapter-less piece? A short, for instance, with no chapters. Can scene breaks work to clearly show scenes when a piece is too short for chapters.

Claudia Gray · Aug 25, 2008

I use ** for scene breaks. I had never heard the hash-mark thing before -- I don't doubt that it's standard, but thus far nobody's complained about the **.

vixey · Aug 25, 2008

jennifer75 said:
OK, how about using scene breaks in a chapter-less piece? A short, for instance, with no chapters. Can scene breaks work to clearly show scenes when a piece is too short for chapters.

For me it's more about a POV switch. If you're doing that in a chapterless piece, it makes sense. Same with a scene switch. In some books this is shown by a gap in the narrative.

Thanks for clarification about the *** versus the ###, Gillhoughly. I've been using ***.

Danthia · Aug 25, 2008

Just an aside here, but the marks are only used in the MS format. Once the book is printed the marks go away and a line is skipped, so there's a visual break between scenes.

There are many ways to break scenes in a MS, so don't sweat it. I used *** for mine and neither my agent nor my editor commented or rejected me for it

As long as it's clear that you're jumping ahead to a new scene within a chapter, or a new scene if you have no chapters, you're fine.

Writer2011 · Aug 25, 2008

I've always used *** for scene breaks in the stories that i've written. Plus i've never used anything like this for a screenplay. Hope this helps.

Cato · Aug 25, 2008

I've seen * * * done, never heard of # # #. I prefer using the extra double space.

Jersey Chick · Aug 25, 2008

I use *** for scene breaks. I've seen and heard of ###, but I think it's ugly.

No one's complained to me about it, but maybe they've bitched behind my back...

jennifer75 · Aug 25, 2008

Danthia said:
I used *** for mine and neither my agent nor my editor commented or rejected me for it As long as it's clear that you're jumping ahead to a new scene within a chapter, or a new scene if you have no chapters, you're fine.

That's the ticket, right there. Thanks!!!

jennifer75 · Aug 25, 2008

I found this while googling the ***

Pretty informative...

http://www.longridgewritersgroup.com/rx/tr02/the_chapter_5_5_06.shtml

Using * within your chapters...

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