When to Make a Paragraph

The general concept of paragraphs in writing is that they group together related ideas. This concept transfers into fiction writing, as well.

Anyone writing in the Twenty-first Century needs to keep in mind that the general population of potential readers is not accustomed to long, flowing paragraphs of information. The era of Tweets and super short videos has had an influence on people, so write in a way to keep them interested. Strategically using paragraphs will help lead readers onward into your stories.

While exact paragraph usage could fall within artistic purposes, this article will attempt to offer some tips regarding how to organize your writing into paragraphs. As a general rule, if you don't have a reason to do something else, try these tips and see if they help.

NOTE: Paragraphs in these examples are indicated by double spacing, not tabs, but tabs are the normal. Web pages don't always support tabs well, and this blog does not support custom CSS.

Tip 1: Change paragraphs in dialog when the speaker changes.

"Well, this," Carol said, "is very interesting!"

"What is?" Marvin looked up from his book to where Carol stood.

Carol held up a box and rattled it. "Something I found in the bottom drawer of that old chest we got at the flea market.

Marvin put down his book and stood up. "Okay, let's have a look!

Tip 2: If the person doing the thing changes, change paragraphs.

Walking across the room, Carol thought Marvin seemed very curious. She smiled and waited for him to get closer.

Marvin stopped a step short of being able to see in the box. He looked past Carol, in the direction from which she had come. The look on his face dropped into something Carol took to be skepticism.

Carol said nothing. Instead, she rattled the box again and waited.

Tip 2 Contradiction: To create a feeling of chaos and energy, you can mix actions of different people together.

Homer looked over at Jebb just before he swatted the hornet nest with a stick. As soon as he did, life as Homer and Jebb had known it changed forever.

Out from the nest swarmed a—a swarm of hornets, and they started stinging anything they came to. Firt, it was Jebb, and he started dancing and spinning, striking the nest a second time by accident. The angry hornets reached Homer a couple of blinks later, and applied their stings in mass. Homer didn't dance; he stood in place yelling, stamping his feet. Around Jebb, the cloud of angry hornets thickened, but still he stood spinning, yelping, and—thinking about it later—Homer thought he uttered something that sounded like a howl.

If the contradiction adds confusion, think about it this way: separate the action of different characters into different paragraphs unless you have a very specific reason to create a chaotic, high-energy scene. If the scene is confused to the characters, mixing action will approximate that confusion to the reader.

Tip 3: Change paragraphs when the object of the narrative changes. The object might be a character. It might be scenery or places.  It could be anything.

When the thing addressed by the narrative changes, it is a good idea to change paragraphs.

Tip 4 Summary vs Details: A common writing technique involves either providing details first, then summarizing or starting with the generalization and then going into the details. This can be more obvious when paragraphs are used to separate the two types of information.

Karen was pretty sure of her conclusion. Alan was cheating. 

Random probability suggested that the outcome of the game depended on chance. Players could not, without cheating manipulate the dice roles, and the dice roles determined where to move what. There was not, since it was a game meant for young children, really any strategy. Yet, time after time, Alan won.

He had to be cheating. 

Tip 5 Two Sides of the Coin: Sometimes, the narrative will highlight opposite sides of the same situation. This can be more clear if done with different paragraphs.

From Truthfinder, the forthcoming 11th book from The World of Siliar

To look at Kyla and Lola was to see two different versions of beautiful. Both of their faces where long and well-suited to their tall, petite frames. They both had long, wavy, raven-black hair. Both looked delicate and lean, though Lola a degree more so, but neither of them was fragile.

But there, the similarities ended. Lola was, at least partly, a descendent of the dark-skinned Dorsi people, the most highly respected and honored group of people in all of Siliar. Kyla described Lola’s skin to be smooth and the color of caramel. Kyla’s skin was equally smooth, but more like cream. Lola’s eyes were nearly as black as her hair, but Kyla’s eyes were blue and a bit rounder than Lola’s. Lola’s lips were slightly fuller, though both of their mouths were delicate and bow-shaped. Kyla was a little taller and perhaps a bit stronger.

Though they differed in appearance, they were kindred spirits. There was an air of innocence about them both, yet their eyes seemed to be wells of insight and wisdom. They were insightful and compassionate. They were creative and ready to solve problems. Both were confident and dependable, wanting always to do things well.

Tip 6 Otherwise: Keep the general rules for paragraphs in mind. The point is to split the text around similar ideas; to keep things together that are closely related.

Paragraphs can be used as clues to the reader that the narrative is moving to a different topic or a different angle on the current topic. These subtle clues help the writer clearly communicate ideas and add meaning and understanding to the words on the page.