Format of 'Chapter'

[Rennie`]

My book is separated into two time frames, Past and Present. The Past is only a fifth of the word count. I wrote the two separately with the intention of, somehow, fitting the two together, starting with 'Present', then 'Past', then a few more 'Present' chapters and so on.

I have a dilemma of how I format the 'Chapter'. I do not want my reader to get confused when reading from one time frame to another and thought about starting the next time frame with 'Past' or 'Present' respectively and then the proceeding chapter number.

This is what I can come up with at the moment:

Present
................Chapter One

................Chapter Two

Past
................Chapter Three

Present
................Chapter Four

................Chapter Five

(Dots represent text alignment to the right)

OR

1

2

III

4

5

No matter how I align the text, no matter what size I use, it just does not look right to me. I don't think it will look right until I actually start separating my manuscript into distinctive chapters and playing around with it. I was wondering what you guys think and how you might format the chapters.

[Sir Icehawk]

I went though a few ideas. I had them typed up. I axed them for an easier one.

A page blank with either past or present on it. Every time we get one, we know it's shifted for the next few chapters until it changes again.

If the two different times are distinctive enough, you don't even need that, but it can't hurt. Context clues could work as well.

An alternative is to put past/present under the chapter number for the first chapter in the new period, then not mention it again until it changes where you'd put past/present under that chapter's number. I like the blank page with p/p on it better.

[Superindelible Marker]

I have to agree with Sir Icehawk - the blank-esk page with either past or present on it was the first thing to jump to mind. There's now way to confuse that one, really.