Thread: Cutting to different scenes within chapters

What are the methods in which you can break up sections within a chapter? I'm finding that there are many times in my stories that I want to "cut" to another scene, but it doesn't feel like I need to start a whole new chapter to do it. For example, segueing between two characters having a short conversation in a car on the way somewhere, and then having them arrive at their destination. Sometimes it feels more appropriate to just write their conversation, then "cut" to them actually getting there, not describing: "we pulled into the driveway and parked the car, then we got out...blah blah blah."

I have seen authors do different things to accomplish this. One way I've seen is to have *** between segments, but that seems to be kind of an old-fashioned way of doing it. I believe I've also seen where some authors just have a space in the text to delineate where there is a "cut". Then some more contemporary authors seem to throw the whole chapter system out the window, and just have "parts" or "books" with different numbers every few pages.

Anybody got any suggestions?

I see no need for an elaborate transition. A regular transition should do fine.

The conversation petered out, and they said very little over the next 30 minutes.
When they arrived at their destination ...

I believe Vanishing Spy is talking about changing to another character or completely separate POV. You can either use the asterisks, as you mentioned, or just leave a blank line of space. Either is fine. Stephen King likes to do this:

Wilma finished her drink and headed upstairs.

2

The next day, Charlie awoke to the sound of blaring music.

Not so much changing to another character, although a break can definitely serve the purpose for that scenario as well. More skipping over unimportant bits of information. Like the car ride example I mentioned earlier... lets say that, as they drive, the characters have a conversation that really adds something to the story. Subsequently, to describe the rest of their trip, them just riding along, maybe trying to find something on the radio, chatting about other stuff, would just seem unnecessary, and to actually detract from the important dialogue they had earlier. A break is needed from the end of their important conversation to when they actually arrive at their destination, but it's sometimes not fitting to start a new chapter.

But Sam W, you did provide me a valid answer to my question, because I'd seen both the asterisks and the blank lines before. I was just wondering if there were any more conventions for in-chapter "breaks."

or just leave a blank line of space

Seconded.

Most writers will use either a line break or a centred asterisk. The centred asterisk is preferable, though, because if that line break appears right at the top or bottom of the page, the scene change isn't always immediately obvious.

Or, as above, there's the method I use, from Stephen King: separate each individual chunk with a number. That way it makes more for mini-chapters rather than broken sections and the reading feels more bitesize and thus easier to get through.