What would be a good way to delineate chapters within a story?

[WCSGarland]

I want to be able to change POV within a story and avoid confusing usage of head hopping. Delineating chapters seems like the best way to do so, but should I use a phrase marking the change, such as Ch 1, Ch 2, etc. or would a mark such as ~~~~~ suffice?

 

[TheLobster]

Marks like ~~~~~~ are dinkuses (dinki?), they don’t indicate chapter breaks. You need to add some kind of explicit header.

My usual way is something like:

CHAPTER 1

Dad said we're going on a road trip.

***

Mom sat on my lap.

***

CHAPTER 2

Mom had a hard time cleaning her pussy of my cum.

The first *** is a dinkus; it doesn't signify a chapter break. The other one is just there to make the chapter header stand out more.

As for a real example, you can check my recent longer story.

 

[SinclairGroupLLP]

There's a difference between a chapter break and a break that changes POV. What it sounds like you're doing is just changing POV, which doesn't always require a chapter break.

You can use something like * * * for a POV break and I think most people will get what you're doing, especially when they see in the first sentence that the POV has changed.

You can also use date/time/place headers if you want. I've used both in stories before, always after using a * * * to signal that you've changed POVs.

Chapter breaks are different - just write CHAPTER TWO, etc. You can bold it to make it stand out. You can even center it if you want to be all fancy like the inimitable @PennyThompson.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I want to be able to change POV within a story and avoid confusing usage of head hopping. Delineating chapters seems like the best way to do so, but should I use a phrase marking the change, such as Ch 1, Ch 2, etc. or would a mark such as ~~~~~ suffice?

I get by with this:

* * * *

Then make it very clear in the first paragraph that you've changed POV. This works with close third narration as well as first, where the narrator is in close to only one character at a time. It's best to stay with the character for a while, I reckon.

 

[Voboy]

I rarely do chapters within my stories, but there are some tales that suit themselves to the idea that the action occurs in "acts," like in a play. When I get a story like that, I'll usually delineate it like this:

* * *
II: The Trouble With My Boss' Pussy

* * *

I think that works well as a good way to differentiate between normal story breaks (that merely get the stars) and something more weighty. I find that the kind of stories that lend themselves to chapter breaks are SF and supernatural tales, normally in FP.

 

[NotWise]

For chapter breaks within a story I've numbered them, or numbered and titled them. I've stayed with numbers only since I had feedback from a trusted beta reader who thought titles were too much. My WIP covers a four-day period and the draft is divided into sections with headings that just give the date. That may not survive edits.

 

[RejectReality]

There's precedent for chapter breaks within a document. Some even list them in the title if it's going to be presented in multiple submissions. Story Title Ch. 01-03. If it's all going to be a single document, you don't even have to worry about that. People aren't going to blink at chapter listings within a document. If you think that's the best way to move from one POV to another, it's probably a good idea. You're likely structuring it that way in your head anyway.

Even with a stronger break than just an asterisk scene break, you'll want to clearly establish the change in POV immediately after the break — especially the first time you do it. Doubly so if you're coming back into the same scene from a different POV. Do it clearly and immediately every time you switch POV, and the readers will follow along.

Edit: Bloody autocorrect... LOL Fixed.

 

[Cacatua_Galerita]

Recalling an earlier discussion.

Centering your dingus helps (unseemly responses welcome):

<center>~ ~ ~</center>

And for the benefit of people using a screen reader, don’t overdo it with the symbols. Three characters is plenty.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I have always viewed a chapter break as a switch in thematic (time, place, etc.) elements withing a story and not simply a "pause". If the setting, time, and characters remain the same, but just a change in POV is required, symbols work fine to denote the pause break.

 

[WCSGarland]

These are all good suggestions. I'm kind of leaning toward a little more demarcation than just the repetitive tildes though. I'm still not sure that is indicative enough. I think it could possibly be overlooked if a reader is in haste while reading...

 

[Voboy]

These are all good suggestions. I'm kind of leaning toward a little more demarcation than just the repetitive tildes though. I'm still not sure that is indicative enough. I think it could possibly be overlooked if a reader is in haste while reading...

That's why, for legit chapter heads, I put 'em in bold and set them off with two rows of stars/tildes.

It's not just the tildes you're counting on as breaks; it's the deadspace associated with the tildes. I skip lines above and below. The whole thing makes a very obvious boundary.

Another way to think about this? What works for you, as a reader? Copy that. If it works for you, it'll work for your readers.

 

[ElectricBlue]

These are all good suggestions. I'm kind of leaning toward a little more demarcation than just the repetitive tildes though. I'm still not sure that is indicative enough. I think it could possibly be overlooked if a reader is in haste while reading...

Trust your readers. They don't need spoon feeding.

In any event, it's up to you to make the pov shift very clear. If you need huge road signs, your writing's not clear enough.