Nathan Bransford - The Forums

When do you use which?

So here's the situation: my WIP has two POV characters. I've been using the three stars (* * *) to signify a change in POV. But I also have time lapses, where I need to set aside the following section as something different from the previous, within the same POV. I've been leaving a white space between those paragraphs to signify this.

My critique partner asked if I should be using stars for everything - time lapse within the same POV or changes. And now, I'm not so sure. Which should I be doing?

Having just been through editing from my publication's crew, it appears that ***** is the approved way.

Blank line breaks signal minor transitions. For Standard Manuscript format, signal the blank line is intentionally left blank using a hash mark, #, on the blank line. The hash mark is a typesetter's mark meaning insert space, usually flush left for a blank line, though sometimes center justified. Naive readers, though, will not understand what the everloving heck that nonce character is doing or means on that blank line.

A set of center justified asterisks signals a major transition, be the major transition a time or viewpoint or other major transition. The next tier up for major transitions is a chapter break. For SMF, an asterisk set is placeholder text ornaments substituted with Standard Publication Format glyphs consistent with a house's design stylisms. A book or layout designer may elect to replace them with other text art, i.e., —☾☪☽— , or — § — , or a dingbat decorative glyph string or vine (vignette). The asterisk set is machine searchable and replaceable in one global action using a publishing software. So consistency is critical.

Asterisks are used as nonce characters, meaning they mean nothing intrinsic and can be used to call attention for fact, spelling, and evaluation of mechanical style checking consideration and search and replace.

Polymath, for some reason when I read the title of your post (Stars and White Spaces) I heard the Moody Blues' Knights in White Satin song in my head. Hmmm. Just wanted to share that.

abc wrote:Polymath, for some reason when I read the title of your post (Stars and White Spaces) I heard the Moody Blues' Knights in White Satin song in my head. Hmmm. Just wanted to share that.

Great song, great band, top of the arts.