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mbarker Original Posting Feb. 13, 2018
Writer's Digest, May 1994, had an article by Nancy Kress, with the title "Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch…" And a subtitle "Transitions are the signposts that guide readers smoothly – or not – through your story." Aha. Those funny little transitions.
Nancy starts by pointing out that we all struggle to smooth out the bumps between paragraphs and scenes. Well, what are the guidelines for transitions?
First, there are lots of transitions you don't need! Nancy says she sees more student writing with superfluous transitions than missing ones! Superfluous transitions call attention to the mechanics. But which ones don't you need? Well, first look for the ones within a single scene, instead of between scenes.
"Eliminate transitions between types of narrative modes." Dialogue, description, action, thought, and exposition are the ways we narrate our stories, and most of the time, you don't need to signal when you're switching. For instance, between dialogue and thought, you don't need to say Henry thought or something like that. The reader will figure out that you are telling us about thoughts.
"Eliminate transitions between flashbacks." The tense change, from past tense to past perfect tense, often is enough to let the reader know that we've switched. Yes, we can remember that first summer, but "Her first summer had been so different." is enough to let us know we've jumped into a flashback.
"Minimize locomotion writing." Unless the trip is necessary, just do a cut. Tell us where we've arrived, maybe when it is, and go on. We don't really need to know all the steps.
"Don't become the Weather Channel!" Weather reports are often used for transitions. If it's important, maybe. But be careful, don't overdo it.
At the same time, there are transitions you do need. At the start of each new scene or chapter, orient the reader. Time and space, who's there. The straightforward approach is to do this immediately. Although, that can get tiresome. So you might change it up, some action, some dialogue, and then orient. Do watch for what I call lurking characters – scenes where you think two people are talking, and there's a whole chorus group just waiting to surprise me when they start talking.
Oh, if your story uses multiple points of view, make sure that the scene transitions also tell us which POV this scene uses.
Transitions you might need. Nancy talks about large chunks of time. The easiest thing is, skip the time between chapters, and start with a clear indication of how much time has gone by. It was 1936, six years later… You can also fill in with a little expository summary. That's right, you get to tell, not show! Toss in a little characterization, maybe reveal some interesting changes, and… On with the parade.
Nancy summarizes her advice in three principles:
1. If you can leave a transition out, do.
2. Make clear the where, when, and who of each new scene.
3. Present the where, when, and who in varied ways that also contribute to characterization, description, or plot.
"Transitions are the guideposts that direct readers through your story. Provide them as needed – but put them by the side of the road, where they belong, not under your story's wheels."
So, a squeaky wheel needs some grease, but not too much. Make those transitions help your reader slide right through the story!
Practice? The obvious thing is take a work in progress, or a piece you like, or something like that. Now look closely. You might even want to highlight the transitions that are there. Is this transition necessary? Try taking it out and see what happens. Look for the beginnings of scenes. Does it have a clear who, when, and where? Does it need a smoother transition? Again, try adjusting the transition in that beginning and see what happens. Then look at the ways that the transitions are handled across the scenes. Do you use the same one repeatedly, too many times? Could you do a little bit more with characterization, description, or plot in the transitions? You might even consider adding to your revision checklist a piece about checking the transitions?
Write?
Writer's Digest, May 1994, had an article by Nancy Kress, with the title "Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch…" And a subtitle "Transitions are the signposts that guide readers smoothly – or not – through your story." Aha. Those funny little transitions.
Nancy starts by pointing out that we all struggle to smooth out the bumps between paragraphs and scenes. Well, what are the guidelines for transitions?
First, there are lots of transitions you don't need! Nancy says she sees more student writing with superfluous transitions than missing ones! Superfluous transitions call attention to the mechanics. But which ones don't you need? Well, first look for the ones within a single scene, instead of between scenes.
"Eliminate transitions between types of narrative modes." Dialogue, description, action, thought, and exposition are the ways we narrate our stories, and most of the time, you don't need to signal when you're switching. For instance, between dialogue and thought, you don't need to say Henry thought or something like that. The reader will figure out that you are telling us about thoughts.
"Eliminate transitions between flashbacks." The tense change, from past tense to past perfect tense, often is enough to let the reader know that we've switched. Yes, we can remember that first summer, but "Her first summer had been so different." is enough to let us know we've jumped into a flashback.
"Minimize locomotion writing." Unless the trip is necessary, just do a cut. Tell us where we've arrived, maybe when it is, and go on. We don't really need to know all the steps.
"Don't become the Weather Channel!" Weather reports are often used for transitions. If it's important, maybe. But be careful, don't overdo it.
At the same time, there are transitions you do need. At the start of each new scene or chapter, orient the reader. Time and space, who's there. The straightforward approach is to do this immediately. Although, that can get tiresome. So you might change it up, some action, some dialogue, and then orient. Do watch for what I call lurking characters – scenes where you think two people are talking, and there's a whole chorus group just waiting to surprise me when they start talking.
Oh, if your story uses multiple points of view, make sure that the scene transitions also tell us which POV this scene uses.
Transitions you might need. Nancy talks about large chunks of time. The easiest thing is, skip the time between chapters, and start with a clear indication of how much time has gone by. It was 1936, six years later… You can also fill in with a little expository summary. That's right, you get to tell, not show! Toss in a little characterization, maybe reveal some interesting changes, and… On with the parade.
Nancy summarizes her advice in three principles:
1. If you can leave a transition out, do.
2. Make clear the where, when, and who of each new scene.
3. Present the where, when, and who in varied ways that also contribute to characterization, description, or plot.
"Transitions are the guideposts that direct readers through your story. Provide them as needed – but put them by the side of the road, where they belong, not under your story's wheels."
So, a squeaky wheel needs some grease, but not too much. Make those transitions help your reader slide right through the story!
Practice? The obvious thing is take a work in progress, or a piece you like, or something like that. Now look closely. You might even want to highlight the transitions that are there. Is this transition necessary? Try taking it out and see what happens. Look for the beginnings of scenes. Does it have a clear who, when, and where? Does it need a smoother transition? Again, try adjusting the transition in that beginning and see what happens. Then look at the ways that the transitions are handled across the scenes. Do you use the same one repeatedly, too many times? Could you do a little bit more with characterization, description, or plot in the transitions? You might even consider adding to your revision checklist a piece about checking the transitions?
Write?
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