Many new authors struggle with paragraphs, even when they are know the accepted rules. So, let’s start with the fun bit, the art and magic, before running through the do’s and don’ts
Oh but, wait, one of the reasons I love paragraphs is that there are no official do’s and don’ts—so using them is not so much about following rules, but helping the reader to not only easily navigate the text, but also to be used help convey pace and skillfully pull the reader’s attention to important features in the text.
The Science
Like a movie, your story is made up of shots and scenes. And while a scene change usually requires a full on section break, any shift of the prose is attention is like camera moving it’s attention from character to character, or between other elements including scenery and items.
Start a new paragraph when you want to telegraph to you reader something is about to change.
- A different character is speaking or thinking. (Almost always, a story will only show the thoughts of your main, point of view, character.)
- The focus moves from element to element. A character. A scene. An object. A topic, or idea.
- Giving the reader physical space on the page so they don’t lose track of where they’re up to.
- Creating impact and rhythm.
The Art
In this modern age of video, it may help to think of a paragraph as a little focus shot on a particular element of a scene.
And like in video, a paragraph doesn’t always have to cut when it moves between elements in a scene. It can pan out and slide and do amazing things, just like those cool camera shots. In these cases, it doesn’t always have to stick 100% to the rules, so long as it’s done deliberately.
Here you can see the second paragraph of this extract from The Dragon Transport and Pacification Society doesn’t quite follow the rules.
..."That’s Jeff’s job,” the blond muttered. “Jeff! Jeff! Where are you?”
The rugged old troll that’d been under the bridge stomped toward us. He was solid as a tree-stump club, with three missing teeth and a troll curse-mark on his arm. The curse tattoo was faded and old, as if he’d been excommunicated some time ago. It was hard work not to curl my hands around my club and threaten him with it, but that would have given the game away.
He looked me up and down. “I’d get gone if I were you. Don’t need some young pluck second-guessing my job. You go back...um...to The Boss and tell him to give you a different, ah, job.”
“Yes, sir.” I think I got that right. I mean, it felt weird to say, but that’s how humans and demons and goblins work, all the sirs and what not. It was hard to get past my overriding thought: my family isn’t here. I turned away fast so no one could see the tears splashing down my cheeks. Yeah, trolls can cry. Doesn’t mean we’re not tough. I had to know what had happened to my aunt and her family, so I furiously wiped them away and turned back. “Wasn’t there a fam—”
You will undoubtedly note, I could have cut the second paragraph before: “It was hard work not to…” because the paragraph has moved from the other troll’s description to Mandy’s thought. But that wasn’t the focus I wanted for that paragraph.
I wanted the incoming troll to feel as if it comes from Mandy the Troll, our point of view character, like an over the shoulder shot in film.
And not only that, because I haven’t got a whole lot of short paragraphs in a row, the action of looking Mandy up and down carries more weight than it would otherwise. It pops. Which leads us to one of the most fun uses of paragraphs.
Adding impact!
Readers sometimes need a little space for the impact of a sentence to arrive! This is particularly true for hooky chapter endings.
Compare this excerpt from the second chapter of The Dragon Transport and Pacification Society
Creeping out, I looked up to the blue sky above. It was as beautiful as ever. And yet, down the river was the wreckage of my grandfather’s pride and joy...his bridge. “Where is everyone?” I whispered to the rocks and the wreckage. There was no answer.
Now watch how the final lines pop when they’re given room to breathe. Suddenly the reader has the time and space to emotionally understand what’s happening and what’s at stake.
Creeping out, I looked up to the blue sky above. It was as beautiful as ever. And yet, down the river was the wreckage of my grandfather’s pride and joy...his bridge.
“Where is everyone?” I whispered to the rocks and the wreckage.
There was no answer.
Of course, like any magic trick, it’s important not to overuse this one. Keep these sentence on their own paragraphs in your arsenal of special tricks for special occasions.
Creating rhythm
Just as sentence lengths should vary, so should the lengths of your paragraphs. Too many short paragraphs and all your beautiful words are going to get lost in the swamp. Or worse. Too many long paragraphs and many readers simply wont bother. In fact there’s some research that in modern era non fiction 36 words is the sweet spot for the average length of a paragraph!
Now you can’t do that with fiction. Fiction is immersive and people want to be immersed. So go to your favourite book, and see how your author uses paragraphs to draw your attention and keep it. How they use longer paragraphs to explore deep, meaningful slower moments, or intricate action. How they use shorter ones to grab your attention. And make a note if you think they’re using a particular combination of paragraph size, because paragraphs in prose can work a little like meter in poetry. For example: short, (not too) long, short, (not too) long, for a driving pace, pulling the reader on.
Mix it up, make your own rhythm, one that intimately fits your story. And trust those writing instincts as they develop, and your process. For many authors the final tweaks on paragraphs are part of the editing process as they sculpt an artwork out of the clay of words.
I hope you enjoyed exploring paragraphs, and can now see how very effective they are when used deliberately as part of your writing toolbox.
Happy writing
A.J. Ponder
Convenor, Te Pae Tawhiti Distant Horizons Award
Find out more about the Te Pae Tawhiti Distant Horizons Award
Are you an author that needs help focusing? Here’s an article on some different aps that I’ve tried. But beware, a new one is coming soon!
The book mentioned in this article was The Dragon Transport and Pacification Society. Check it out!