It became a point of notice in another topic, but I decided to make one to focus on it. I seem to have some problems with knowing when to begin and/or end a paragraph. Can anyone explain paragraph 101? Mainly just looking for some pointers that will allow my paragraphs to not be too long or too short, while also pleasant to read.
Its been explained to me like this, maybe it will help. :x Sentences are complete thoughts. Paragraphs are collections of related complete thoughts. A paragraph should focus on a single subject. Don't be afraid to break up paragraphs for readability. But ya that's all I got
This is one of the main differences between creative writing and expository writing. I know when we were taught expository writing, we were given a very rigid formula. Paragraph one explains the problem and briefly outlines the THREE ways you plan to prove your view on the topic. Paragraph two is the first way. Paragraph three is the second way. Paragraph four is the third way. And paragraph five is your conclusion, after you recap all the three ways you proved your point. And you end the paragraph with a little nip of thought that takes the subject slightly further, into more speculative territory. For several years at school we were not allowed to deviate from that formula. I became very VERY good at it. Which is why creative writing wasn't as easy for me as it should have been, at least to start. It was very hard to unlearn a formula which had brought me success at school and university. University still wanted the same basic formula, although we were allowed to choose more points of proof and also to write a couple of paragraphs about each. Then, suddenly ...a whole new world. My husband, who was a copy-editor for a major newspaper here in Scotland for nearly 25 years, showed me how to paragraph my novel more readably. It was one of the major lessons I took on, which helped immensely. Do make sure you coordinate any dialogue and action with the person who is saying and doing it in a single paragraph, however. I've seen paragraphing on the forum that is all over the place in that regard, and it's very hard to follow who said what. Take this example: Now divide it like this: or: In the first example, it's clear who is saying what. In the second two examples it's not clear at all. Joe might just have been shaking his head and saying nothing, and the I don't like what you're doing phrase might be spoken by Mary. This is what accurate paragraphing can do for you. Don't put one speaker's actions at the end of the other person's speech. It's not a 'rule' in the sense of ''you broke the rule, therefore you fail," but it's simply to make it easy on the reader. It doesn't influence what a person says or does. It only influences how these things get understood by the reader. We're used to reading paragraphing a certain way, and if you change it, we can get confused. Other than that, I'd say to work for a variety of paragraph lengths, because it's easy on the eye, but keep in mind that a long paragraph slows things down, while a short one speeds things up. You will want to be able to do both things as you write. You don't want your reader zipping along at such a pace that they're missing connections or not allowing important things to sink in. At the same time, you don't want them to open the book and see there are only one or two paragraphs per page either. It's the variety that makes reading lively, so I'd say work towards varying your paragraph lengths. Obviously also pay attention to the content, and don't cram all sorts of different ideas into one paragraph, or split one up into bits that don't finish the thought. But there is no real rule that I know of, in creative writing. Just be aware of how paragraphing influences your story's readability, and work with that.
Well, right above you have two paragraphs of equal length (2 sentences). You have 4 sentences. The first vaguely lets on that the topic came up and elsewhere & needs your special attention. You follow up with the exact nature of your personal struggle. The third sentence moves on from the struggle to a request for help, and the fourth grouped with it goes a little more specific for what sort of help you're looking for. You split those four sentences into 2 paragraphs: Why do you think you did this? Because there was a shift in focus. The points of the sentences all focused on the same topic to varying degree of generalism & more specifics. The sentences built on one another, but when they started to have a different primary focus, they went to a new paragraph. It's the same as the subconscious paragraph writing you did here, even with stories. You basically have to realize what the focus of the paragraph you have is—it can be general or it can be quite limited—and then make sure the sentences included all have the same focus. Like say I'm quickly describing the point of view character's first approaching a grand old house: all the bits that feed into its overall majesty, whether physical description or emotional response of the character, would be grouped together. Paragraph would end when the focus shifted to, say, the character's sudden anxiety of ringing the doorbell or having all new impression of the owner of the home. If I were however going to give extensive descriptions of the house, even though all are probably serving the larger focus of its overall majesty, I'd probably break the descriptions based on the focus of which aspects are impressive. The grounds & gardens may be together, with all those delectable points of note. Then probably the size of the home, how grand and imposing and intimidating. Then maybe the style of home & its architecture. Then leading up to the details of the porch, the elegant & massive door, the doorbell the only thing commonplace and disarming about the whole home, so bland, so familiar, and the only thing comforting enough to give him that ounce of courage to press it. Anyway, there's wriggle room. Sometimes certain sentences can be kept in the same larger paragraph, sometimes it can be broken down into more palatable or perhaps bite-sized morsels. Neither per se is wrong. Just another stylistic choice. But if the flow doesn't fit, and it's clear the focus of the sentences have drifted or branched, it's a nice bet that a separate paragraph may be just the thing. My two cents, at any rate.
For dialogue, the rule is pretty precise: Each speaker gets a new paragraph. When dialogue and action is mixed, you often follow the same rule for characters that are just acting and not speaking. So: John said, "What are you doing?" Jane looked up from the counter. Silent, except for the sound of her knife chopping carrots. He walked to the counter. "I said, what are you doing?" She said, "What do you think I'm doing?" For plain ordinary action without dialogue, you might again alternate between characters: Jane chopped the carrots, then went to the fridge to gather the salad ingredients. Lettuce, onions, a few sad-looking chives, and a cucumber. She dumped them by the sink and turned on the water. John stood by the oven, coughing occasionally from the smoke, waiting for precisely the right moment to pull the steak out from under the broiler. Or you might not: Jane chopped the carrots, then went to the fridge to gather the salad ingredients. Lettuce, onions, a few sad-looking chives, and a cucumber. She dumped them by the sink and turned on the water. John stood by the oven, coughing occasionally from the smoke, waiting for precisely the right moment to pull the steak out from under the broiler. Megan rummaged through the utensil drawer, extracting barbecue skewers. Sam just stood, arms folded, watching. Outside the window, they heard what sounded like a backfire. Then another. They all ignored it, until they heard the sirens. Here you see that we have a paragraph of people cooking, and then when attention shifts to something happening outside, we change paragraphs. So except for dialogue, it's very much an It Depends kind of question.
I started my own thread on this very subject some years ago and the conclusion I came to is there are no hard and fast rules for paragraphs. I still struggle occasionally, but happily more often than not I paragraph almost automatically. It's just something you eventually learn to 'hear' internally. As you write, a synapse will fire off a message at the appropriate moment and tell you you need a new paragraph. Read lots and you'll gradually start to hear when to use them.
This! Thank you, Raymond Chandler. (One sentence, one line paragraphs that express complete thoughts and are not dialogue.) I do all kinds of weird things with my paragraphs to create whatever sort of rhythm works for that piece. After a while, things that don't work glare out at you with angry little faces because they interrupt the flow of the writing. For the OP, it really does become instinctual. Don't be afraid to try things and hit the undo button if it doesn't work. Reading your work aloud will help you find what works.
