Scene switching and how to do it?
So I am writing a story that is in my head for millions of years already and it is finally progressing. I like how things going for a first draft and I am pretty happy to get things going.
But lately I have created a lot of characters that accompany my MC. The story advances in such a way that it requires them to split up. This foreshadows an event to the MC or to the environment they are in. But I don't think my narrative should stick with the MC all the time. I think it is needed to swap perspectives to foreshadow some interesting upcoming event.
I have been reading up to similar questions like: Splicing/Mixing Scenes
But the answer was not really satisfactory. So I want ask a question of my own.
What is the best way to change to another character or scene without making the reader feel disoriented?
What I have tried now:
- "In the meantime" approach. Introduce a new place and the antagonist foreshadowing a major unknown event that will happen at a place the MC is traveling to.
- Chronological, swap to a character ahead of the party in which the MC is traveling that foreshadows an event that will take place as they happen.
What I want to happen:
- Get one of my characters abducted as they are traveling so I can write more about the antagonist and the upcoming major event.
- Progress on the event I have planned for the MC.
I have lots of things in store for the story and discover more as I go. But I am not really knowlegdeable in the different styles and/or techniques. So if anyone could point me in the right direction I would really appreciate it.
This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/36308. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
1 answer
What you are describing reminds me of The Lord of the Rings, once the Fellowship splits up. Different chapters follow Frodo, Aragorn, Merry and Pippin.
To avoid confusion, Tolkien always devotes whole chapters, not parts of them, to each character. That is, a jump between characters never occurs in the middle of a chapter.
Furthermore, whenever there is jump, Tolkien clearly indicates right at the beginning of the chapter who we're following now:
Pippin lay in a dark and troubled dream (LotR, III, 3 - The Uruk Hai)
‘My very bones are chilled,’ said Gimli (LotR, III, 5 - The White Rider)
‘Well, master, we’re in a fix and no mistake,’ said Sam Gamgee. (LotR IV, 1 - The Taming of Sméagol)
Etc.
Chronologically, Tolkien jumps back and forth with one line relative to the other, occasionally indicating what another group is doing at the same time. In other cases, different characters witness the same phenomenon from different places, giving the reader an anchor. This element helps maintain the unity of the plot.
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