Quick Reminder on Transitions
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
Transitions are one of those things that, when they work, are nearly invisible to readers. When they don't work (they're choppy, wordy, or completely absent), they can pull readers right out of a story.
Here are a few problems that I've noticed as a reader…and a few that I've struggled with as a writer, too:
Transitions that ramble on and on. In the right kind of book, this may actually work to a degree, although I think it can be easily overused. It doesn't really work at all in my genre…it would kill the pacing: The summer’s heat finally gave way to fall’s gentler temperatures. Trees shed their leaves and children packed their book bags and headed back to class…
Forward leaps in time with little explanation. It might be that a book suddenly picks up weeks later in the story. What's happened in the interim? Why couldn't the missing weeks be cut out…why were they even necessary? Should the action in the book be more condensed?
Overly-detailed shadowing of a character to get them from one place to another. Clara walked to the door. She opened it and strolled out to her car, thinking about what she’d just heard from her mother. She turned the key in the ignition and slowly backed out of her driveway, checking her mirror. She decided she would go to the grocery store and pick up a gallon of ice cream. At this point I’m really just thinking how boring Clara is and how much I want to escape her company. The readers can assume how Clara got to the store. The writer could just start out with: A few minutes later, Clara headed to the grocery store for some ice cream.
For further reading on transitions:
Dressing and Dining from Theresa at Edittorent
How to Create Smooth Scene Transitions from Jason Black
How to Move Smoothly Through Your Novel from Janice Hardy
Do you notice transitions as a reader? Is it something you've found challenging as a writer?
Tips for Better Story Transitions:
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