Transition (fiction)

Transitions in fiction are words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or punctuation that may be used to signal various changes in a story, including changes in time, location, point-of-view character, mood, tone, emotion, and pace.^[1][2] Transitions are sometimes listed as one of various fiction-writing modes.

Purpose of transitions

Transitions provide for a seamless narrative flow as a story shifts in time, location, or point-of view. They aid the internal logic of a story by moving readers from sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph, idea to idea, scene to scene, and chapter to chapter with grace and ease..^[3]

Types of transition

Transitions in fiction may take any of several forms, including chapter breaks, section breaks, and summarization.^[4][5]

See also

• Transitions (linguistics)
• Writing
• Style (fiction)

Footnotes

References

• Marshall, E (1998). The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing. Cincinnati, OH: Writer's Digest Books. ISBN 1-58297-062-9. 
• Morrell, JP (2006). Between the Lines: Master the Subtle Elements of Fiction Writing. Cincinnati, OH: Writer's Digest Books. ISBN 978-1-58297-393-7. 
• Polking, K (1990). Writing A to Z. Cincinnati, OH: Writer's Digest Books. ISBN 0-89879-435-8. 
• Rosenfeld, JE (2008). Make a Scene: Crafting a Powerful Story One Scene at a Time. Cincinnati, OH: Writer's Digest Books. ISBN 978-1-58297-479-8.