MechanicalFoundational
Scene Break
White space that crosses time, place, or perspective.
Principle
A scene break should pay for itself with what the reader finds on the other side.
Takeaways
- Use scene breaks for time, place, and POV shifts.
- Overuse fragments; underuse strands the reader in transition.
- The first sentence after a scene break does heavy orienting work.
Overview
A scene break is a typographic pause — usually rendered as blank lines or an ornament — that signals a shift in time, place, or perspective. It is a small but consequential mechanical decision.
Examples
- A break between morning and evening of the same day.
- A break that switches POV without warning.
- A break that compresses three weeks into white space.