1. Nick Kilcoyne

    Nick Kilcoyne New Member

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    Is dialogue always a new paragraph?

    Discussion in 'Dialogue Development' started by Nick Kilcoyne, Nov 8, 2012.

    I am writing a series of fiction stories but they are in the style of news articles. I know that in narrative writing, each new speaker gets a new paragraph. However, I don't think this applies to news articles does it?

    Dialogue in that situation would just appear in the same paragraph for example:

    Is that acceptable?
     
  2. Thumpalumpacus

    Thumpalumpacus Alive in the Superunknown

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    You have an unbalanced set of quotes The quotes after "dance" have no opening set. Edit your OP so that your quotes are clear, first. That will facilitate answers.
     
  3. Mckk

    Mckk Member Supporter Contributor

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    I don't even understand your quote. Give us a real sentence from what you've written rather than make up some incomprehensible "example".
     
  4. Nick Kilcoyne

    Nick Kilcoyne New Member

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    Sorry, that third quotation was a typo.
     
  5. thirdwind

    thirdwind Member Contest Administrator Reviewer Contributor

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    I don't mind multiple speakers in a paragraph, though it gets annoying if the dialogue is many sentences long. The general consensus seems to be that there should be one speaker per paragraph. If the dialogue is short, then a paragraph can have multiple (usually 2) speakers. This "rule" is just for the sake of clarity and isn't set in stone.

    Your example is fine (aside from a few grammar mistakes). Both sentences are about Eye Witman, so you don't need a separate paragraph because there's no new idea being presented. Usually, a new paragraph begins a new idea or thought in nonfiction. In fiction, paragraphs can be used for dramatic purpose, so you can have really short paragraphs or really long ones (100+ pages).
     
  6. Nick Kilcoyne

    Nick Kilcoyne New Member

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    What if it is two or more characters?

     
  7. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    nick...

    you can find the answer to your questions much more easily/quickly/reliably than asking fellow writing site members, by simply reading items/articles in reputable newspapers/magazines and fiction by well-respected authors, to SEE how it's done...
     

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