Wattpad 101: Your guide to the world of Wattpad

Chapter Breaks and Point of View Titles

A chapter break is a point in which there is a sudden change in setting or Point of View (PoV) mid-chapter. Usually this is denoted by a large spacing and often a symbol, line, or multiple symbols to break it up. Like:

*************************

If you can imagine a chapter as an individual scene in your story, then a chapter break is a point in the scene where the chapter needs to shift either setting or PoV. For example, your characters are having a discussion, and then you want to reveal that someone is listening to them. You don't want your characters to consciously see the character listening to them, so instead you jump to the PoV of the unnamed listener. This is done with a chapter break.

Chapter breaks are most often done in third person limited PoVs... although from time to time I see it done in first person as well. I don't really find it necessary in omniscient, since the all-powerful narrator usually can paint the entire scene without the need to scene shift in mid-chapter.

The reason I'm dedicating a chapter to explaining this is because I see a lot of chapter breaks being overused if not used incorrectly.

First off, I'd recommend one avoid doing a chapter break more than twice in a chapter. Twice is a maximum, and certainly not a goal to achieve. There are easier ways to organize your story, and if you're feeling the need to constantly jump PoV, there is a good chance you aren't building an exciting climax, but confusing your reader.

Each time there is a new chapter, and it's the kind of story where you experience jumps in time, location, or PoV, your reader will need time to readjust to the situation. They need to get their bearings straight, and anything you do to make this easier for them allows your writing to be easier to read.

Ultimately, you'll have to decide when it's appropriate to shift PoVs. Sometimes, you'll really want to show the thoughts of one character followed by the thoughts of another character, and you just won't be able to do it because of your choice of PoV. You need to seriously consider just tossing out some information and sticking to one PoV.  Otherwise, you end up introducing a story that is confusing and hard to read.

Certain books accomplish PoV changes by literally naming the chapter after the character whose PoV it is. This can work presuming you're constantly shifting PoV every chapter, and that you don't want to shift PoVs within a certain chapter. So while this method can work, it does have limitations. For someone who is always in one person's PoV and then shifts to another once in a blue moon, or only bounces back and forth between 2-3 PoVs, this method might not work all that well.

Some people label every chapter break and every chapter with whose PoV it is.

*Joe's PoV*

This will be titled after every chapter break. I'm not a fan of this. I consider it a form of weak writing. If you can't make it clear whose PoV you are in, you are doing something wrong. Mind you, I am okay with the situation above with chapter titles. I've seen many books do this, such as the popular Game of Thrones. I am only not okay with randomly writing whose PoV it is at the beginning of each PoV shift or chapter break.

It's been pointed out to me that anything necessary to make your writing easier to read is game. The ultimate goal is to make your writing accessible to your target audience, and if stating whose PoV it is in front of a chapter is what it takes to get the reader to follow the story better, then you should do it. Still, on a personal level, I can't shake that this is just amateurish writing. I've never ever read a published work that states "This Guy's PoV" in front of a chapter break, and I challenge you to find me one, because I'm seriously curious if anything has ever been done by a major publisher that way.