Today, I’d like to talk about something few writers ever seem to think about: paragraphs.
Most authors start new paragraphs completely by instinct instead of making conscious choices, and that usually wastes a lot of potential and can even lead to confusing readers.
Often, authors don’t seem to know where to start and end paragraphs—and I admit that’s not easy to learn since there’s not much information on how to structure paragraphs in fiction.
So why do you as a fiction writer need to worry about when and where to start a new paragraph?
The function of paragraphs
Paragraphs help readers to follow your story without becoming confused. Paragraphs provide structure and make reading easier by grouping sentences that belong together and separating sentences that don’t belong together.
Also, using paragraphs creates white space on the page, and that’s something modern readers like. If you have ever come across a text with no or few paragraph breaks, you know how intimidating long, unstructured blocks of text can look—especially on small-screen devices such as e-readers or phones.
A rule of thumb for when to start a new paragraph
There are few hard-and-fast rules for paragraphing, but there’s a useful rule of thumb that will help you decide when to start a new paragraph.
Start a new paragraph when the speaker changes
Never put dialogue from different characters into the same paragraph; otherwise, readers will have trouble keeping up with who’s talking. For the other character’s answer, switch to a new paragraph. Also, keep in mind that sometimes, the other character might answer nonverbally or with an action—start a new paragraph for nonverbal answers too.
Example:
“Are you angry with me?” Sue asked.
Bethany said nothing.
“Oh, come on. Don’t give me the cold shoulder.”
“Leave me alone.” Bethany stormed off.
You’ll notice that correct paragraphing cuts down on the number of dialogue tags we need. Readers can keep track of who’s talking because every new speaker has a paragraph of its own.
Start a new paragraph for the actions and thoughts of different characters.
Keep not just the dialogue, but also the actions of different characters in separate paragraphs.
Example:
As soon as Sue had gotten into the car, Bethany stepped on the gas and peeled out of the driveaway.
Sue grabbed onto the armrest to keep her balance.
Don’t start a new paragraph for the actions, dialogue, and thoughts of the same character
Keep what one character says, does, and thinks in the same paragraph; otherwise, you are signaling to readers that the action or thought belongs to a different character.
Example:
“When does your train leave?” Sue asked.
Bethany glanced at her wristwatch. Damn. “Ten minutes ago.”
Start a new paragraph when the time or location changes.
If you move forward or backward in time or move to a new location, start a new paragraph. Of course, that might also be a good reason to start a new scene.
Example:
“Give me a few minutes to get changed, then meet me in the kitchen,” Bethany said.
Sue nodded and went back to her book.
Half an hour later, Sue still hadn’t joined Bethany in the kitchen.
Start a new paragraph when the focus shifts to a new topic.
When you were describing one thing and then switch to discuss something completely different, start a new paragraph.
Example:
Sue took in the woman’s mud-spattered pants and dirt-crusted boots. A sodden baseball cap clung to her head but didn’t manage to hide her disheveled blond hair. Her T-shirt, which said my diet starts tomorrow in faded red letters across her chest, was soaked through too, revealing generous curves.
Behind the woman, two little girls wearing bright green rubber boots jumped from puddle to puddle.
Start a new paragraph to add impact.
Sometimes, you can also start a new paragraph to create a dramatic or humorous effect. Putting a sentence in a paragraph of its own makes it stand out and adds impact. Don’t overuse this technique, though, or it’ll lose its effect.
Changing camera angle
I realize that’s a lot to take in, so here’s another rule of thumb that sums up those guidelines:
Paragraph length and pacing
Also keep in mind that paragraph length, just like sentence length, has an effect on your story’s pacing.
Short paragraphs make the readers’ eyes move down the page faster and speed up the pace of the story. So short paragraphs are best suited for action scenes, scenes with rising tension, or snappy dialogue scenes.
Longer paragraphs slow the pace and are best for reflective scenes.
Of course, even slower scenes will have a few short paragraphs and even fast-paced scenes might have a longer paragraph. Varying paragraph length is a good thing to avoid a monotonous rhythm.
I hope you find these tips on how to structure paragraphs helpful.
Happy writing!
17 Responses
Loved the information, enlightening, helpful and logical.
Thank you!
This cleared up several things for me. Thank you.
Glad you found it helpful!
Thanks Sandra, Even though I am writing in the Norwegian language I find your guidelines on structuring paragraphs very useful. I believe the same rules apply in both laguages.
Looking forward for more helpful information.
Thank you.
Thanks Sandra, Even though I am writing in the Norwegian language I find your guidelines on structuring paragraphs very useful. I believe the same rules apply in both languages.
Looking forward for more helpful information.
Thank you.
This is revealing and very helpful to me. Thank you Sandra.
Here are examples of the “new camera / new paragraph.” I have other examples where I didn’t want to jump around this much. These seem to call , to be logical transitions which keep the speech with the POV. That’s my theory, but I really want to hear your opinion of my uses of your technique.
He poured more. “Swoosh it and swallow.”
I did.
“Better?”
I nodded.
He leaned down and kissed me. I put my hand on his chest and rose to my toes to return his kiss. His lips lightly brushed mine as I sought his lower lip. He curled a strand of my hair around his finger. “Did I tell you today?”
With a smile in my voice, I asked, “What?”
. . .
“I should’ve worn the loose, black dress again.” While trying to get comfortable, she smoothed out her skirt.
“You good?”
She nodded.
I introduced her to Sake and ordered sushi, sashimi, and ramen.
“Ramen? I survived on ramen in college. It was a necessary part of life on a student’s budget.”
“This is different.” I smiled, hoping she’d like it.
There’s always a bit of interpretation and subjectivity involved in structuring paragraphs, but here’s how I would do it:
He poured more. “Swoosh it and swallow.”
I did.
“Better?”
I nodded.
He leaned down and kissed me.
I put my hand on his chest and rose to my toes to return his kiss.
His lips lightly brushed mine as I sought his lower lip. He curled a strand of my hair around his finger. “Did I tell you today?”
With a smile in my voice, I asked, “What?”
. . .
“I should’ve worn the loose, black dress again.” While trying to get comfortable, she smoothed out her skirt.
“You good?”
She nodded.
I introduced her to Sake and ordered sushi, sashimi, and ramen.
“Ramen? I survived on ramen in college. It was a necessary part of life on a student’s budget.”
“This is different.” I smiled, hoping she’d like it.
Thank you for that. I am surprised to see so many paragraphs, even more than I had considered. Your advice is very helpful as I am doing final read-throughs for punctuation, formatting, etc etc. Thank you for your valuable advice. Have a wonderful day!
~Sharon
Keep in mind that most people read ebooks on small-screen devices, so more frequent paragraphing helps to avoid run-on text.
Hi, this was veru helpful, it clarified many things for me too.
I get so confused how traditional writing talk about topic sentence, the supporting sentences and then conclusion sentence for each paragraph or narrative topic, then narrative details and then conclude the narrative. However when I read novels, I don’t really see this applied. When I read through the first chapter and follow though the paragraphs for one scene, as you mentioned about, the authors change paragraphs depending if it’s time, character talking etc… so why do I get confused when I see hear about the traditional writing and it doesn’t follow the authors I read ? Is it because these traditional writing is more focused to academic writing ? For information essays for example ? I like your clarification on this , love to hear.
A lot of writing tips are valid mostly for essays or nonfictions. Fiction works in different ways, but there’s still a structure to it.
Oh I’m so thankful I found this piece. You really wouldn’t believe how difficult it is to find information like this, so carefully and thoughtfully laid out in a way that’s easy and informative. Words can’t really express how grateful I am for finding this. Thank you for writing it.
I’m glad you find it helpful!
This was so helpful! My 9 year old is writing a chapter book and asked me to help her with paragraphs. I was lost until I found this. Now she and I can learn together.
I am very thankful for the information you provided. I now have a much better idea of how to structure paragraphs for the novel I am writing. Thank you for sharing.