In a post on Killzone, PJ Parrish offers advice for writing the transitions between scenes and chapters. “Transitions go a long way to creating that seamless narrative flow you need as your story shifts in time, location, or point-of view,” she says. “Transitions look easy but they can be tricky to get right.”
Structurally, transitions are bridges between islands of writing. “Most are straightforward and literal; some are complex and sophisticated,” Parrish writes. “But all good transitions do one thing: They strengthen the internal logic of your story by moving readers from idea to idea, scene to scene, and chapter to chapter with grace and ease.”
Some types of transition include:
- Time transition. When you want to move forward or backward in time with your story, a simple notation of the time or date will bring your reader up to speed.
- POV transition. “When you move between characters, you could just pick up with the new character’s voice,” Parrish says. “But the flow can be enhanced if you find a way to subtly link them.” You might transition with an image, setting, or a piece of dialogue.
- Continued narrative transition. In this case, the story simply picks up where you left off in the previous chapter. The time elapsed might be days, minutes, or seconds. You can show as much or as little as what happens between. If a chapter end with a character answering a phone call, your next chapter can start with the conversation or the results of it, depending on the story’s need.
- Action/reaction transition. You might end a chapter with the action peaking and open the next with your character’s reaction. This can help you with pacing, Parrish says. Keep the action flowing in one chapter and use the next to give your protagonist time to reflect.
- Descriptive transition. Another way to manage your pacing, a description transition helps you orient your reader to a new location, and give them a break after an action- or dialogue-heavy chapter.
- Echo transition. With this kind of transition, you end on chapter with an emphasis on a specific phrase or image, then use that same phrase or image to open the next.
- Parallel transition. Like the echo transition, this is a conscious repetition of an idea, image or symbol between two chapters.
Overall, Parrish recommends keeping transitions simple. “Your first job as storyteller is to just keep the reader moving between your islands,” she says. “You don’t want them to stop and admire turrets, filigree and gargoyles. More often than not, a sturdy little span is the best way across.”
