Adding breaks in a novel—spaces, asterisks, or a chapter break?

Question

I am editing my first novel and wherever I find a natural break in the story, I add a few spaces. I want to go back and adjust what types of breaks those are, but how best to represent those spaces in time? What is the difference between using an extra space, asterisks, or a chapter break?My guess (and feel free to correct me): an extra space is used when it's some time later in the same scene, or when switching POV with characters in the same scene; asterisks are used when it's essentially a different scene, with either the same characters in a different time or place, or switching POV with different characters; and a chapter break could indicate either, but it comes at the end of a dramatic scene.

Answer 1

There are no hard and fast rules for what are section breaks divided by space, what are section breaks divided by asterisks (or another visible divider), and what are chapter breaks. The most important thing is *consistency*. Being consistent in your style and formatting will allow your reader to follow along easier because they understand what these divisions mean.

For example, in the Game of Thrones books, many chapters end with "..." instead of a period when the character meets a potentially-deadly situation (e.g., falling out a window). So far, no character with this ending has died, and in a lot of ways that simple "..." is used as the character falling unconscious. Being consistent allows the reader to pick up on what's going on without you spelling it out for them.

Also, an aside - don't just use chapter breaks for dramatic moments; while they are particularly effective there, they should be used primarily as a natural break in the action - a natural stopping point for your reader, who will likely not be reading your book in one sitting.