• Welcome to the Fantasy Writing Forums. Register Now to join us!

Paragraphs...

Was just curious how short/long you make yours. I try to vary mine so it's not just the same thing all the way through but I average about 70-90 words for most. The longest paragraph I have right now is about 112 words but I haven't gone through and edited it yet so I'm sure it will trim down.

I try not to have very long paragraphs because sometimes I'll be reading a book and it will just drag on and on and it shouldn't feel like a hassle to just get through it.
 

Alexandra

Closed Account
Your post is 94 words long. Barring dialogue, many short 'graphs instead of a few meatier ones reminds me of a newspaper or magazine layout (I've worked as a print journalist). Vary it up, tis the spice of life.
 

Devor

Fiery Keeper of the Hat
Moderator
I am finding that long paragraphs feel exceptionally long on a Kindle - instead of turning a page and a half, you're flipping through like six screens - so avoiding those will be good if you're epublishing. If I had to say, mix it up, but not too many that are more than about 150-175 words, with most being much shorter.
 

tlbodine

Troubadour
I have tended toward writing smaller paragraphs since I started writing web content for the day job. Seconding the opinion that long paragraphs look weirder on an e-reader than a print book. That said, really short paragraphs can mess with your pacing.

Much like sentence length, I think paragraph length should reflect the content of the book. If you're writing something fast-paced, like a fight scene, short sentences and brief paragraphs will help the eye move down the page faster and get through the scene quickly. If you're writing something that should cause the reader to pause and linger for a second, like the passage of time linking two events, longer paragraphs might work better.
 
Agree on all counts. Web writing (and I guess anything on a Kindle) makes the reader impatient; variety's key-- meaning of course that we look for the right things to put in the long or short moments for effect.

I do think 70, 90, or 110 words is about as long as I need for most paragraphs. Anything more and I feel I'm not being clear to the reader about where points shift and how they can be easier to read. I'll use longer ones only for something like the sense of a long afternoon or a tiring journey.

But most of all, never ever put something important in the middle of a paragraph. Paragraphs are reversible guillotine blades: they may get weight from the middle, but their real impact comes from the sharp lines at the bottom and top.
 

Taytortots

Minstrel
I tend to vary them up, honestly, on what seems important or in need of more description, or if i'm trying to portray a certain thing. Mind you, I try not to make them too long, as I have had to drag myself through a long paragraph that really needed to stop, but I still think long paragraphs can be okay to a certain extent.
 

OGone

Troubadour
I used to write heaving paragraphs of excessive description and purple prose, I'm trying to cut that crap out of my writing. I'm finding that recently I write really short paragraphs, I rarely break 50 words. Not sure if this is a particularly good or bad thing, though.
 

Corvus

Scribe
I newer payed much attention to how long a paragraph is. I put them where they make sense, when you finish one thing (train of thought) and go to the next; a shift in perspective, switching from descriptions to action that sort of thing. It's basically haw I was taught at school.

I do agree long paragraphs are a hassle to read, but then each person has a different definition of "to long"


Actually went and check I'm averaging 150-200 words longer if it's purely a description.
 

SeverinR

Vala
I think a paragraph needs to be as long as it needs to be.
But I can see in this day and age, that shorter paragraphs would keep the typical ADD reader more focused.

I think there is need for long paragraphs. But we must cater to our readers.

Am I wrong, doesn't the classics have long paragraphs standard? Will they have to be edited or will fewer young people read them? (Personally, I never liked anything that school forced me to read.)

I wonder if stories one day will be written in text message format.

"IMHO It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
It was a time of wisdom, it was a time of foolishness, lol
it was epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, wtf?"
 

CupofJoe

Myth Weaver
I wonder if stories one day will be written in text message format.

Someone in London did the Xmas Story as tweets...

"no record of reservation so no room at inn for me&SO #gonnacomplain; #computerglitch"
"given room in stable #RomanCensussux"
"its a boy!!! :) #FTW; #imaddy"

well you get the drift...
 

Addison

Auror
You want variation with paragraphs. If you see you have pages of long paragraphs, break them up, give the eyes a glimpse of white paper. The opposite goes for if you have pages of short paragraphs.
 
Top