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How do you signify a change of scene? Scene transitions should be varied. Imagine, every scene change has your character reliving a dream. Your readers would find that boring, right? What if every scene began in a kitchen, or started with someone walking down a road, or a corridor? Too predictable.

How to vary scene changes

Use all of your senses. Be subtle. Sometimes scene changes need to be inconspicuous. Other times you need to shout, “We are changing scene.” Whatever method, be discreet and clever.

Lighting: Day turns to night. Stars appear in the sky. The sun shines down mercilessly. The new moon appears. Lamps are turned down. Candles are lit and there are shadows on the walls. Use light.

Weather: Is it cold, raining, perhaps even hailing? The warm rain of summer storms, or cold, sleety rain? A change in weather can denote a change in season, a change in time or changing and unusual circumstances if the weather pattern is out of place.

Years or eras: Bobby goes from childhood to adolescence. One king dies, another reigns in his stead. I was a child, now I am a grandmother. Jump from one generation to another.

Objects, film transitions: This can be effective. You watch movies, right? How often does a soft light turn into a blazing fire? Focus on one object, use its characteristics and transfer them into your new scene. A fire becomes a glowing candle. Melting snow becomes a river. A child’s face becomes a woman’s face.

Appearance and Health: Sally is young . She runs through the woods. In the next scene Sally is old and she’s walking through the woods, carrying a burden.

References to date or time: It is morning in once scene, night in the next. Thanksgiving in one scene, Christmas in the next.

Activities: Switch from a scene of people mourning their dead in the aftermath of a battle, to people dancing at a wedding. One scene ends by describing a man out hunting. In the next scene the same man has a gun, but this time he’s at war.

Interruptions: A doorbell; a tram; the sound of a phone ringing. All of these can herald a change of scene.

Space or Chapter breaks: Starting a new chapter is the easiest way to signify a change in time or character’s perspective. Leaving extra space between paragraphs can also be an effective way of showing the scene has changed.

Scene transitions should be written into the beginning of a paragraph. Remember; don’t always use the same transitional phrases or ideas. Be innovative. Be creative. Write it. If it doesn’t ‘work’ you can re-write it.

Writing Tips: Scene Changes Part 1
Writing Tips: Scene Changes Part 2