Hey Folks,
Happy Winter Solstice yesterday. I forgot. (grin)
Topic: The Importance of Paragraphs
While glancing over the internet this morning for items of interest, I checked in on a blog I’d saved in my bookmarks but hadn’t looked at recently.
When I save one in my bookmarks, it’s because I hope it will provide valuable, or at least valid, information.
A writer posed this implied question:
I have trouble trying to figure out when to begin and end paragraphs and when to have dialogue included in the paragraph and when to have it stand on its own as an independent paragraph.
The author of the blog, Marilyn Byerly, was correct as far as she went. I refer you to her “rules of thumb” in the post (see “Of Interest”) and her summation:
As long as the reader is clear about what is happening and the page isn’t covered by long paragraphs, he won’t even notice when you paragraph.
However, I disagree with her penultimate statement:
On the whole issue of paragraphing, don’t be too uptight about it.
Certainly the use and length of paragraphs isn’t something to “be uptight” about to the point that you lose sleep, but pacing is important.
In fact, pacing is easily among the more important factors to consider in writing every commercial genre of fiction.
Since paragraph use and length go directly to pacing, here’s my own addition to Ms. Byerly’s rules of thumb:
For reference, I define shorter paragraphs as 5 lines (not sentences) or fewer. Medium paragraphs are 5-8 lines. Longer paragraphs are, well, longer than 8 lines.
Readers read more quickly through shorter paragraphs. Or another way to say it, shorter paragraphs draw readers through a story more quickly. Hence their widespread use in thrillers.
You will also find a lot of medium paragraphs in thrillers. When you find longer paragraphs (lengthy descriptions, mental/psychological stuff), the writer is giving the reader a “break” from the breakneck pace.
I hasten to add, this is not a “conscious” decision while the writer is writing. It’s something he “feels” or senses as he’s writing. It comes out through his subconscious, creative mind as he types.
But he can only sense it because he learned it (with his conscious, critical mind) in the first place. In all things writing, learn with the conscious mind and apply with the creative mind.
At the opposite end of the scale from thrillers, “literary” works (Latin magic realism, for example) is filled with medium and longer paragraphs and sentences and more poetic prose. Again, there’s a purpose. The longer sentences and paragraphs force the reader to linger.
(I tout my own magic realism stories as those that occur on that far horizon where reality folds into imagination.)
In a well-paced mystery (including cozy) the paragraphs will be a more “normal” smattering of shorter (dialogue and tense situations) and medium. Chances are, you will find very few (if any) long paragraphs.
Most of the other commercial genres are paced about the same, though you might find a few more long paragraphs in mainstream and period (bosom-heaving) romance.
And just in case you’re wondering, the above is valid for short stories as well as novels.
I hope this helps.
***
I haven’t mentioned this for awhile, but with Christmas coming up it seems the perfect time:
You can get ANY of my books absolutely free of charge. As many as you want. And yes, you can request them for someone else as a gift if you want.
Simply visit HarveyStanbrough.com to read the descriptions, then email me at harveystanbrough@gmail.com to let me know which book(s) you would like.
If you prefer short fiction, I recommend selecting one or more collections.
I’ll send you a coupon code so you can purchase the book(s) free at Smashwords. I only ask that after you’ve read it, you leave an honest review at Smashwords and at least one other place. (However, this is not a requirement.)
***
It’s Saturday, so I got up a little before 1 a.m. The goal is to get whatever fiction I’m going to write done early and then spend the day with my bride.
I started and ended the writing day with a long cycling session, going back through the whole thing to adjust the age of my protagonist and a few other details.
A good short day overall.
Talk with you again soon.
Of Interest
See “Critical Voice Kills Everything” at https://www.deanwesleysmith.com/critical-voice-kills-everything/. I left a comment on this one. If it gets through, I recommend you read it. If it doesn’t (or maybe even if it does) I’ll try to make it a topic for a future Journal entry.
See “Paragraph Lengths” at http://mbyerly.blogspot.com/2018/12/paragraph-lengths.html.
See “Character Descriptions: How To Write Them (in 3 Steps)” (but bring your salt shaker) at https://blog.reedsy.com/character-descriptions/.
Fiction Words: 2089
Nonfiction Words: 810 (Journal)
So total words for the day: 2899
Writing of Cazadores (novel, tentative title)
Day 1…… 4917 words. Total words to date…… 4917
Day 2…… 1873 words. Total words to date…… 6790
Day 3…… 3453 words. Total words to date…… 10243
Day 4…… 4191 words. Total words to date…… 14434
Day 5…… 3527 words. Total words to date…… 17961
Day 6…… 5534 words. Total words to date…… 23495
Day 7…… 4350 words. Total words to date…… 27845
Day 8…… 2089 words. Total words to date…… 29934
Total fiction words for the month……… 54444
Total fiction words for the year………… 513127
Total nonfiction words for the month… 14110
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 185796
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 698673
Calendar Year 2018 Novels to Date………………………… 10
Calenday Year 2018 Novellas to Date…………………… 3
Calendar Year 2018 Short Stories to Date……… 11
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)………………………………………… 36
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)……………………………………… 7
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)……………………… 193
Short story collections…………………………………………………… 31
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