Space between paragraphs in a section break is sometimes accompanied by an asterism (either proper ⁂ or manual * * *), a…or other ornamental symbols. From Wikipedia. See link for additional information.
I’ve always used * * * for section breaks in prose or poetry. Recently, I was trying to find out if you left a blank line before and after the asterism in prose. Asterism was a new usage of the word asterisk to me. While doing research I came across the Wikipedia page and found out how very little I knew about breaks. And, yes it does appear that it is correct to place a blank line before and after the asterism.
My new favorite section break is called a fleuron a stylized forms of flowers or leaves. I have place three of them below.
❦
❧
☙
There’s a Ornamental Dingbats chart, seriously, if you dig deep enough and want to use a different break symbol. Happy section breaking.
