question about paragraphs

[rabbit-says.livejournal.com]

Hello. I've been wondering if there are any specific rules about how paragraphs should be structured, or how other writers decide when to put in a new paragraph break. Any advice?

(also posted on my journal)

Thank you :)

Comments

[oakstone730.livejournal.com]

For me, the length of the paragraph helps set the action of whatever is going on. Long paragraphs should be used for only deep contemplative thoughts. If there is action going on the best way to convey it is snappy, short paragraphs. Personally my eyes start glazing over with long sentences and paragraphs, especially when reading on a computer screen rather than a book.

[rabbit-says.livejournal.com]

Hmm, interesting *ponders*. The length of the paragraph does help move things along. I hadn't really noticed that in particular but it's true. Thanks :)

[sksdwrld.livejournal.com]

Any time the topic changes, the time frame changes, a thought or process is completed, or the focus shifts to another character....

[rabbit-says.livejournal.com]

Yes, totally agree. It's something I'd do but without really thinking about it - but seeing the 'rules' written down will make me much more aware of why it's better a certain way, y'know? Cheers ^_^

[swissmarg]

It depends on what kind of writing you are doing. Speaking of fiction, you would always start a new paragraph when:

- A new speaker begins speaking.

- A new scene begins.

Additionally, as oakstone730 said, you can use paragraph breaks to structure the prose into easy-to-digest chunks. So for example, you can start a new paragraph when:

- The action shifts from one actor to another. But only if this doesn't disrupt the narrative flow. If you are describing a battle with many actors, and you jump from one to another very quickly, then you shouldn't make a new paragraph every time, as it will make too many little paragraphs and your writing will end up being jerky. But if you have quite a lot description of one character's actions, then you shift to describe another character's reaction, that would be a good place to break.

- You shift from setting the scene to the actual action. For example, you may start out with a description of the room that the characters walk into. Then you start a new paragraph when one of them begins to do something.

- Sometimes you may get into a longer narrative section in which you are laying out an argument or guiding the reader through an explanation or a thought process, then it's almost like a mini essay, in which each paragraph would detail a different point of support for the reasoning. This could also be within dialogue, in which case you need to remember not to close the quotation marks until the speaker is completely finished. But you do re-start the quotation marks for each new paragraph within their speech. (I tried to link you to an example, but it made my comment be screened as spam. Let me know if you want an example.)

So it's basically whenever there is a shift in time, location, speaker, idea, focus, etc.

[oakstone730.livejournal.com]

^^^^ yes, yes, yes ^^^^ to all of this.

Too many paragraph breaks can be as disruptive to reading flow as not enough.

[rabbit-says.livejournal.com]

"If...you jump from one to another very quickly, then you shouldn't make a new paragraph every time, as it will make too many little paragraphs and your writing will end up being jerky"

Definitely! This is exactly the sort of thing I'm trying to avoid doing. I often write reports for work and the preferred style is an almost bullet point-type format; it's a hard habit to break. I'm sure I tend to be a bit stacatto in the way I write other stuff too.

"But you do re-start the quotation marks for each new paragraph within their speech"

I wondered about that. I just read a fic where the writer carried on without re-starting them, it didn't look right but I wasn't sure.

Thanks a lot for your advice! ♥

[starduchess.livejournal.com]

- A new speaker begins speaking. Ah, but be careful with this one. You should also start a new paragraph after one person's dialog when a second person reacts to it, even before that second person speaks. I don't know how many times I've fixed this while reading or betaing, but it happens a lot and is a big pet-peeve of mine.


Bad:
"John, please make the report on Gladstone first before the one on Millers." John blinked up at his boss.

"But I'm almost done with Millers."


Good:
"John, please make the report on Gladstone first before the one on Millers."

John blinked up at his boss. "But I'm almost done with Millers."


In other words, keep one person's actions with his dialog, not with someone else's dialog.

[swissmarg]

Yes, exactly. Thanks for clarifying that.

P.S. We're totally not thinking of Sherlock here, are we? ;) (John...Gladstone...)

[starduchess.livejournal.com]

Uh, subconscious, I tell you. In my defence, I was just watching "Reichenbach Fall" two nights ago. :)

[rabbit-says.livejournal.com]

*nods* Yes, the second way makes much more sense when reading it. I suppose it can be easy to overlook such things when you're in the throes of writing.

You sound like you've beta'd a lot. What are the other most common mistakes, out of curiosity *furiously writes notes to self*

♥

[starduchess.livejournal.com]

I have. Probably the biggest SPaG issue is comma splices -- putting commas in where they don't belong. Then there's the occasional confusion between colon (:), semi-colon (;), em-dash (--) and parentheses (()). You can do a search on-line for grammar rules and it will tell you how to properly use each, or I could send you another comment.

As for paragraphs, the other big thing is knowing when to break paragraphs in two or combine two or more together. Mainly this has to do with keeping same topics together and breaking when you switch topics, which a few other people have said above.

A third thing in general to keep in mind is watch for repetitions, either single words or common ideas (with the exception being the word "said"). Repetition can be used to great effect in certain cases, but if you find yourself unconsciously doing it all the time, then the effect is lost. Try to vary your language.

[rabbit-says.livejournal.com]

Comma usage has evolved a bit over the years. What was once acceptable practice now seems overdone, I think. I hold my hands up to comma abuse!

Em- and en- dashes are something I've been reading up on lately; there are some differences between how they're used in UK English and US English, apparently. Which makes me wonder what other grammar differences there might be - and what US habits I might have picked up from reading fanfic that I'm not even aware of. :D

Repetition is an interesting one because most people have a few phrases and words on speed dial, so to speak. You can't really help it. (When we were kids, if I overused certain words, my sister would sing-song them back to me in a really smug annoying voice...ha ha. It did make me stop though, so I suppose it worked.)