Transition (fiction)

Transitionsinfictionare words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, orpunctuationthat may be used to signal various changes in a story, including changes in time, location,point-of-view character,mood,tone,emotion,andpace.Transitions are sometimes listed as one of variousfiction-writing modes.

Purpose

Transitions provide for a seamlessnarrativeflow as a story shifts in time, location, orpoint-of view.They aid the internal logic of a story by moving readers from sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph, idea to idea,sceneto scene, andchapterto chapter with grace and ease.Transitions in fiction also refer to how the trajectory of characters changes according to the various factors that affect them. The spatial and temporal changes affecting the characters help in the plot development. This shift can also denote a parallel transition that takes place regarding the state of mind of the character.

Techniques

Screenwriters Trey Parker and Matt Stone createdthe "but and therefore" ruleto create transitions that eliminatewriter's blockand keep narratives engaging. The "but and therefore" rule consists of an approach of replacing the words “and then” with “but" and "therefore” in a story. Thus, because all events become portrayed as challenges and solutions, the narrative has tension, and thus becomes engaging.The "but and therefore" rule applies for all transitions between scenes as well as transitions between actions and reactions within scenes.

Types

Transitions in fiction may take any of several forms, includingchapterbreaks,section breaks,andsummarization.

See also

• Style (fiction)
• Transition (linguistics)
• Writing

References

• Marshall, E (1998).The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing.Cincinnati, OH:Writer's DigestBooks.ISBN1-58297-062-9.
• Morrell, JP(2006).Between the Lines: Master the Subtle Elements of Fiction Writing.Cincinnati, OH:Writer's DigestBooks.ISBN978-1-58297-393-7.
• Polking, K (1990).Writing A to Z.Cincinnati, OH:Writer's DigestBooks.ISBN0-89879-435-8.
• Rosenfeld, JE (2008).Make a Scene: Crafting a Powerful Story One Scene at a Time.Cincinnati, OH:Writer's DigestBooks.ISBN978-1-58297-479-8.