Of course, the setup at the end of chapter three could be for a scene that’s delayed and chapter four could take us somewhere completely unexpected. He smiled when he saw his brother’s smile freeze into a gremlin’s glare. Mark walked into the hotel’s ballroom, his former sister-in-law on his arm. Even if he hasn’t, we only need a simple setup: If this is the end of chapter three, chapter four can easily begin at the wedding with little explanation or description, especially if the writer has already provided details about the place and time of the wedding. He couldn’t wait to see his brother’s expression when he showed up at the wedding with Paul’s hated ex-wife. In fact, you don’t need to write a detailed transition if you ended the previous chapter with a teaser of what’s to come. Scene transitions can be seamlessly inserted at the beginnings of chapters since readers expect a transition between chapters. So, we use scene transitions to skip periods of time or to change to a new location in the story, glossing over events that happen between the new and old times or locations. A story may stretch over years-readers don’t need to know what happened every minute of those years. Transitions are important in fiction because the writer can’t possibly portray or account for every moment in a character’s day, week, or life. Transitions can also be used to show a character’s change in heart or frame of mind. Decemby Fiction Editor Beth Hill last modified February 14, 2011Ī scene transition takes characters and readers to a new location, a new time, or a new point of view.