How do you do scene breaks?

[ThisAdamGuy]

I prefer to separate scenes with chapter breaks, but that's not always an option. When I absolutely have to do it mid-chapter, I like to put two bolded m-dashes between the last paragraph of the old scene and the first paragraph of the new scene.

"We'll stand by your side until the end!"
McHeroface stood up, a dark glimmer of determination in his eye.
"No," he said brusquely, turning and walking away from the table. "This is something I need to do alone."

——​

Thirty minutes later, the toilet flushed for the seventh time. The door opened, and McHeroface energed, his face pale and wet with sweat, eyes haunted, but victorious nonetheless.
"I wouldn't...go in there..." he gasped, leaning on the wall for support, "for at least a few hours."

What about you?

 

[Sarandib]

I like to do an extra space between paragraphs. A horizontal line like you do is probably more clear for WN audiences, but I'm too lazy to go through the text once I copy paste it from Office to Scribble Hub and insert them manually.

 

[Eldoria]

I've marked them with a (-) sign and provided a subtitle underneath. This helps readers understand what each scene is about while also managing the flow of the transitions between scenes.

Example:

Spoiler: Blood Rose Princess Vol 2 Chapter 35: A Sleep Too Peaceful to Never Wake Up!

He took a slow sip. It was sweet. Too sweet.

John smiled... then looked at the two children... then at Belle.

Everything felt so peaceful. So whole.

But something inside him still whispered.

“Is this real...? Or just a dream... a very beautiful one...?”

Belle patted his shoulder.

“What's wrong, John? Don't daydream. Look, the children are waiting for you!”

John turned his head, seeing his wife's eyes glistening in the warm light.

He shook his head slowly, smiling.

“It's okay... you're right. We should enjoy this moment.”

Belle sat down beside him.

The little family laughed. They began to eat together.
The wind blew. The flowers swayed.
White roses surrounded them like an endless sea of peace.

John's face was peaceful.
A small smile hung on his lips.
A gentle breeze carried the white roses…
As the last white rose fell into his hand…

The sky suddenly turned pale.
The wind froze.
The white roses turned transparent.
And Belle stared at him… with blank eyes…
The children stopped laughing

And as he looked at their faces…
They became faceless…
Her vision blurred like mist…
And John never woke again.

On the other side of the world, the morning breeze greeted Belle, bringing breakfast like flowers to a grave without a tombstone.

—

At the Same Time…

The mist rolled in like a curtain of death, enveloping the city in a suffocating silence. Belle's every step echoed without an echo—as if even the stone streets refused to answer her presence that morning. There were no pedestrians, no vendors, no babies' cries or roosters' cries. Only the wind, blowing softly... swaying Belle's hair like a flag at half-mast.

She clutched her packed breakfast to her chest, as if it could be the last bridge between life and memory. She stared up at the grey sky—empty, as if the world were holding its breath. She murmured, her voice cracking:

"Strange? Usually the city streets are bustling... why is it so peaceful this morning..."
https://www.scribblehub.com/read/16...ace-with-her-little-daughter/chapter/1755535/

 

[Jerynboe]

At some point I started marking breaks with 10 dots.
••••••••••
Like so. Incidentally, I use those because they look nice and clean to me but also because I write almost exclusively on my phone and so they are conveniently on my keyboard.

 

[Macha]

Carefully.

 

[Supperset]

???
I don't... use them. I feel like I've missed something in my writing career.

 

[Hans.Trondheim]

Extra spaces and a line composed of dashes.

Makes it easy to upload chapters online, too, since dashes will always show up properly.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Usually I insert a horizontal line (most word processing apps allow this) or use two blank rows.

 

[K_Jira]

Carefully.

Spoiler

On a side note, I use: ***

No, I'm not cursing you nor is it an inuendo.

 

[laccoff_mawning]

There is, in fact, a horizontal line option in scribblehub editor.

 

[Tempokai]

*** and just a horizontal line are GOAT. Anything else is just overcomplication or oversimplification.

 

[Arachis]

The conventional scene break marker in manuscripts sent to publishers is an # . For my work, I tend to use an asterisk (or maybe three of them).

 

[georgelee5786]

Gap between paragraphs.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Oh - sometimes I do a "Meanwhile..." too.

 

[Deleted member 84247]

I used either a horizontal line in the editor, or if I'm too lazy, I use "///".

 

[Fox-Trot-9]

I just use a blank line (white space) to denote scene breaks in my chapters. Less key strokes that way.

 

[Humanistheart]

I prefer to separate scenes with chapter breaks, but that's not always an option. When I absolutely have to do it mid-chapter, I like to put two bolded m-dashes between the last paragraph of the old scene and the first paragraph of the new scene.


What about you?

Yeah I like to do lines but I feel it’s easy to overuse. Maybe because I grew up on terry pratchet and he wasn’t big on chapters.

 

[OokamiKasumi]

I prefer to separate scenes with chapter breaks, but that's not always an option. When I absolutely have to do it mid-chapter, I like to put two bolded m-dashes between the last paragraph of the old scene and the first paragraph of the new scene.

What about you?

For scene breaks in my published works: * * * * * or * * * between lines.

For my fan-fics I use: ~ * ~ between blank lines, or the initials of the fiction I'm fanning: ~ ZL ~.
I've also been known to use an emoji between the tildas: ~ ? ~

 

[LeilaniOtter]

I just unpack my trusty asterisks.

**

 

[Anaktoria]

Just "-" with the usual empty space between paragraphs above and below that. I'm lazy!