Hi,
In the instructional videos the author inserts a new scene at the start of the chapter and for every subsequent scene.
In the “Tarzan” document example included in the software, the chapter starts without a scene inserted. A scene is only used for the second and subsequent scenes in the chapter. Can I ask the practical impact of the difference between the two approaches.
Also - in the instruction video the author inserts a page break at the end of each chapter but I’m wondering if this is actually set automatically already?
Chapter headings will appear in the table of contents if you create one, so they provide orientation for both, the author and the reader. Scenes will only appear in the Navigator and serve for the author’s orientation. Readers will never see scenes.
I think when the video was shot the Chapter style wasn’t set up to start on a new page yet – hence the need for manual page breaks. Now the page break is part of the style, so there is no need for the manual break.
Essentially, scenes are simply a way of creating a sub-chapter by marking an invisible, virtual box around parts of the text. This allows you to drag and drop entire sections of text which can save time and effort, as well as prevent accidental errors which often occur when you cut and paste. They can also act as waymarkers to aide navigation.
If you don’t place a scene marker directly under the chapter heading, any text between the chapter heading and the first scene marker is only within the Chapter “box”. So, if you decided to move that section of text - for example to later in the chapter - you couldn’t just drag and drop it via the Navigator - you would have to go into the text, highlight it then move it.
However, you can add scenes at any time so if you didn’t add one immediately after the chapter title initially, you can always go back and insert one later.
As glucose said, this will depend on what “Style” you are using for your chapter titles. For example, the “Chapter Numbered” Style is set to insert a page break. The “Heading Numbered” Style is one which won’t insert the page break.
The setting is found in the Style dialog (opened with the icon)
To check what your chapter Style is using, click on the “Advanced…” button beside “Paragraph format”. This opens the “Advanced Paragraph Formatting” dialog.
There are three options under “Position” that will insert a page break at the end of the chapter:
The bottom two (“Start on even (left) page” and “Start on odd (right) page”) may also insert a blank page.
The “Chapter Numbered” Style is set to “Start of new page” so will insert a page break. “Heading Numbered” is set to “normal” so will not.
Hi, Eva is correct about scenes placing virtual boxes around text, which is a big plus with editing. But I also place the scene after the chapter heading for a logical reason. Let’s say you have a chapter broken into two with a scene break in the middle. Then, to me, the first section is scene 1, the second section is scene 2, and so on. Also, scene markers add more point to a timeline, which gives you more opportunities to refine your pacing and timing.
As for the page break, I insert them purely because page breaks are needed for paperbacks. In the video, I do it manually. But as Eva has pointed out, this can also be done through styles. Page breaks aren’t needed for eBooks, but neither do they hurt eBook formatting. However, they are vital for paperbacks, so I believe it is a good practice to use them.
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