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.
I went out and asked a college writing center what their thoughts on titling PoVs. I'll post the response verbatim right here.
"I think the most important point to make is that there isn't a hard and fast rule to guide an answer to your question. If you are planning to self-publish this in some way – either in print or electronically on a web site or something – then you can do what you want. You are the publisher and you get to set your own standards for publication.
If, however, you plan to submit this to a publishing company, then that company will provide you with a set of standards for submitting your manuscript. My understanding of the publishing business these days is that writers are first encouraged to find an agent. Many publishers will not work with a writer who does not have an agent.
I would recommend getting your hands on the most current Writer's Market which is published annually by Writer's Digest (your local library might have a copy if the thought of buying it makes your wallet quiver). WM often has great advice on such matters, and publishers routinely provide their submission guidelines there. Ultimately, the decision of chapter headings will be one that is made by your editor and you."
Long story short, ultimately the choice is up to you. But you may want to find out what a publisher accepts before depending on a mechanism such as labeling PoV. Ideally, your PoV should be obvious without labeling (and if you don't want the PoV to be obvious, that should be obvious too). If its not, consider writing it to be, independent on whether you label it or not.
That aside, the second thing I want to focus on here is when a chapter break is not acceptable. Some people have suggested some complex rules on when a chapter break is a chapter break and how much of a break it is. I'm of the opinion that a chapter break is a chapter break, and there is no such thing as "types of chapter breaks".
If you are breaking the chapter, whether it be from a PoV shift or a setting change, that break is treated the same. There is no special nomenclature or symbol that denotes one or the other.
That said, I often see chapter breaks that occur when there is no reason for one to exist. Namely, people create a chapter break to denote a passing of time. I've always found this to be wasteful and pointless. A chapter break is a shift in scene. If you're still in the same scene, and it's only a few hours later, you can easily denote this with the line "A few hours later..." It really isn't more complicated than that.
I think too many people have trouble transitioning. As a result, they use a chapter break as a lazy attempt at transitioning the scene. That really isn't what a chapter break is there for. It isn't there for you to be lazy. You know how I feel about lazy writing if you've read any chapter of this book.
A transition really isn't as difficult as many people think it is. The problem is, I've even seen people have all the proper transitional words, but still include a wholey unneccesary chapter break that is only there as a safety precaution.
Don't get me wrong. I get why. Some people read stories fast, and skip words, and might not notice your transition in scene unless you give them those symbols and thus they become confused. So a chapter break makes it nice and clear that something has changed.
My opinion on this is that you're basically awarding a lazy reader. Yes, readers can be lazy too. Especially critiques and read for readers. I think there is a big difference between making your writing easier to digest for someone who wants to read everything, and making your writing easy to skim so someone can kind of get the idea enough about what happened to leave you a comment.
You want your writing to be smooth and easy to read. You do not want it to cater to people who are glossing through it.
A chapter break is a break. It breaks your scene. Ultimately, you want to avoid breaking your scene when possible. So when you can write a paragraph or two and prevent yourself from needing to chapter break, you should do so. Too many chapter breaks, and you break your chapter... plain and simple. It breaks up the flow, it causes the reader to stumble, and it makes them have to start from the drawing board, obtaining whose PoV you're in, where they are, and what's happening all over again. Do that too much and your writing becomes frustrating to read.
When should a chapter break be used? Typically in PoV shifts and major setting changes. PoV is self-explanatory. If you're not in the PoV of the character you were in, you'll need a chapter break or it looks like your jumping PoV, which is bad. You really can't pull this off in first person, by the way, so don't try. Even if you do put the title above each chapter break, it's still messy. If you choose 1st person, try not to do any PoV shifts, but if you have to, dedicate a chapter for each PoV shift.
With regards to setting, that is major changes to the time and/or place. When I say major changes, I mean a major lump of time passes. It should be enough that the same characters aren't there and the place might be different. As far as setting, I'm not talking the next room over, I'm talking about a different building, area, or even state. Whatever the shift, it should be significant relative to the book.
Make sure to note that I said relative to the book. If your entire story takes place over the course of a few hours in a single room, then a shift to another room a few hours later might be significant. If your scene takes place over weeks, and the characters are moving around, there is no point in breaking a chapter, even if the event happens a day later. In that case, writing "The next day, George ran..." would be sufficient to avoid a chapter break.
And ultimately, how you use chapter breaks is entirely up to you. This is mostly just food for thought, so I hope that the information here can help you make an informed decision when using chapter breaks. Like everything I mention in Wattpad 101, there should be a reason you do everything. If that reason is, "It's easier and I can't write a transition that sounds natural"... well that sounds like a weakness you need to fix, not avoid with awkward chapter breaks. So work on your weakness rather than avoid it. And as always, Good Luck and Happy Writing!