A paragraph is a wonderfully flexible thing: it can vary in length from one word to several pages. Traditionally, its function is to signal the introduction of a new subject which can then be explored at some length, or to indicate that a new speaker is about to give voice, but in contemporary novels you rarely see page after page of solid text -- perhaps our shortened attention spans make this too hard to digest.
I've started a new paragraph here in order to draw breath for a moment and to show that I am going to change tack slightly, by suggesting other functions which paragraphs can fulfil .
Having several paragraphs on any given page will make your writing much easier on the eye, so they certainly have a visual role to play. Starting a fresh paragraph is a way of concentrating on what is critical in your scene, it gives emphasis and focus to a particular moment. Although single word paragraphs can be irritating if overused and are the grammatical equivalent of self harming, they can be an effective way of underscoring a dramatic climax.
Using a number of different paragraphs can also help to vary the pace of your writing-- the same is true of the sentence, where it is a good idea to go from long to short to medium to long, and so on. It keeps your reader on their toes.
Arranging your work into paragraphs is probably something you do instinctively, without really thinking about it, but maintaining a watchful eye on the mechanics will help to keep you in touch with the ebb and flow of tension and suspense in your work, with where the focus lies, and with how the pace is developing.
No comments:
Post a Comment