Paragraph length

[beliefofmine]

I just submitted a story that was rejected for paragraph length of all things.

It was stated that paragraphs should be kept to 4-8 sentences in the review, however the actual posted publishing guidelines state:

4. Paragraphs
Please break your story up into reasonably sized paragraphs. Literotica stories are often read on small screen devices where excessively long paragraphs fatigue some readers. Stories with few/no paragraph breaks may be sent back for further editing.

I think the paragraphs that I used are all reasonable length. There's only 1 slightly longer paragraph at the end (about 24 sentences, all relatively short/medium length), but it fully encompasses a single complete thought. There's not really anywhere I can logically see to break it apart, nor do I want to just for the sake of making it shorter. It definitely doesn't qualify for "few/no paragraph breaks".

It feels like the spirit of that guideline is to avoid stories that are written in a single large block of text. My story is broken into about 58 breaks/paragraphs. Not to mention that I see many other stories with paragraphs much longer than my own. In my opinion some of the stories I've read recently that are all 1 or 2 sentence lines just seem sloppy, like a stream of text messages. But they're welcome to post stories like that if they want, its how they intended to write them.

Am I wrong here? Am I just ranting? Is this the greatest sin?

Best Regards,
~Beliefofmine

 

[StillStunned]

First of all, Lit's rules aren't always enforced consistently. Just because you see something in another story doesn't mean it will be accepted in yours.

Secondly, paragraph length has become a big deal in recent years. Apparently a majority of readers use their phones for all online activity, including reading stories here in Lit (and I know several authors who actually write on their phones, which is enough to give me a cold sweat).

Also, unfortunately, in today's society many people struggle to stay focused. So a story that has sentence after sentence without any form of break is impossible for many people to read, even if they have a large screen. You need to break up exposition with dialogue and action every few sentences.

This rule is here to help you. Well, it helps the readers, of course, but if your story is a wall of text, they'll make their feelings known in their ratings and comments.

My personal rule of thumb is about 60-90 words per paragraph, and recently I've leaned more towards the lower end of that. Say two or three sentences. Like I said, vary exposition, dialogue and action regularly as well.

Good luck!

 

[beliefofmine]

That's fair I suppose. But if half of my story is just the narrator's perspective, and there's no dialog going on because they're alone, breaking thoughts into 1 sentence blurbs seems spastic.

I get the phone thing. But when 4 sentences becomes a whole page of text, I don't know if you really can do anything.

I'm not trying to cater to every reader. I have my own opinions about the downfall of modern society, which could be it's own post.

I worry more about mods pushing a uniform format that changes the unique creativity of each author into a bland, dime a dozen, format. The diversity of style is what makes writing great. Not everything is for everyone. Some people write for the masses, and some don't. I didn't get the impression that these were curated/editorialized works.

You wouldn't tell an modern artist to paint with a classical style. We accept them as they are.

 

[NotWise]

Consistent or not, Lit has their rules and you need to follow them if you want them to publish your story.

The idea of a 24-sentence paragraph boggles my mind. I wouldn't even do that in my technical writing, where my readers aren't reading for entertainment.

For me, it isn't the site rule that drives shorter paragraphs, Its my expectation of what readers can easily read, which does not include long, unbroken blocks of text.

 

[beliefofmine]

I know it sounds like a lot, but when you look at it, it all flows together, and as I said. There's no obvious break in the flow of thought that would make sense to break it up.

Again, some people are writing for other people, they want the highest feedback and reviews, etc. Some people aren't.

It just seems shortsighted to say "we're going to limit the content and engagement, because we only want one type of format".

What it's telling me is if I release the same story with every sentence as it's own line, it would get accepted. No care to the structure or flow of ideas.

It just seems undemocratic to say we're going to protect you from yourself. If it's a problem, let the people downvote and comment on the story. By not allow it to go out, no one gets an opportunity to like it.

I have another story from several years back that still gets highly rated and liked. Are we going to go back and unpublish every old story that is too long? Of course not. I hope the mods can see the error in their ways. This is not in the spirit of the guideline.

 

[StillStunned]

I hope the mods can see the error in their ways. This is not in the spirit of the guideline.

Then you should be talking to Laurel, not us.

 

[OddLove]

I respect your overall concern about how certain rules are enforcing specific uniform format that can stifle creativity for writers who want to break away from the blueprint and experiment with different ways of writing and formatting their stories. I can see why readers using their phones to read or readers struggling to read without losing focus might need short paragraphs.

I personally try to write short paragraphs myself, and I prefer shorter paragraphs myself because I also struggle to read, constantly losing my place on long paragraphs. It's just unfortunate that every else has to follow the same blueprint in order to cater to the majority.

Hopefully you can find a writing technique to get around the paragraph length rule without compromising what you're trying to create. Since the website is trying to draw in more readers, I don't think they're going to change that rule unless someone can demonstrate how it's a detriment to their overall goal of increasing traffic, and retaining people's attention.

 

[beliefofmine]

I respect your overall concern about how certain rules are enforcing specific uniform format that can stifle creativity for writers who want to break away from the blueprint and experiment with different ways of writing and formatting their stories. I can see why readers using their phones to read or readers struggling to read without losing focus might need short paragraphs.

I personally try to write short paragraphs myself, and I prefer shorter paragraphs myself because I also struggle to read, constantly losing my place on long paragraphs. It's just unfortunate that every else has to follow the same blueprint in order to cater to the majority.

Hopefully you can find a writing technique to get around the paragraph length rule without compromising what you're trying to create. Since the website is trying to draw in more readers, I don't think they're going to change that rule unless someone can demonstrate how it's a detriment to their overall goal of increasing traffic, and retaining people's attention.

First of all I think its important to distinguish that the paragraph thing is a guideline not a rule. And secondly, I would argue that a wider variety of content and formats would attract more people, not turn them away. I think most people understand that there's a variety of writers here, so they wouldn't assume every work is exactly the same based off of just one.

 

[StillStunned]

First of all I think its important to distinguish that the paragraph thing is a guideline not a rule.

I don't know when the guideline was written, but quite possibly it was 25 years ago. Lit doesn't always update these things very often. And what was once a useful tip has become established practice, based on today's readers and their reading habits.

 

[beliefofmine]

I don't know when the guideline was written, but quite possibly it was 25 years ago. Lit doesn't always update these things very often. And what was once a useful tip has become established practice, based on today's readers and their reading habits.

I don't have a kindle or anything like that so I don't know. But do main stream writers today change their formats into shorter form to be more easily digestible via handheld devices, and an generation of people with shorter attention spans? I can't imagine a publisher editorializing an author and telling them to break up a story that works in print because they're concerned about how it will read on electronic devices.

I look at rules for them, guidelines for you. The rules are what's acceptable or not, and the guidelines are to guide you to creating the best work.

I could choose to write a horrible story content wise (within the rules) that I know would be hated. But would be published. Why then can't I write something that I know might be too long for some readers and not others?

I don't complain about the stories that are 1 sentences or ones that are +20 pages long. Those are my preferences and I choose to read stories that match my preferences. I think those writers should be allowed to make those works. But so should I. I should be allowed to have mine published here, that have some longer drawn out thoughts.

 

[StillStunned]

Again, make your case to Laurel, not to us. We have no power to decide anything here. Only she does.

As for "should be allowed": it's her site. We get to play here, by her forbearance and her rules.

 

[VerbalAbuse]

The number of sentences per se should have little import. There's a difference between a three words sentence, and a hundred word sentence. The lines count is the important one. If your paragraph exceeds ten lines, it's already harder to read. If it exceeds twenty... some readers will probably read only the beginning and skip the rest. So don't.

And this not just about handheld devices. It applies equally for paper books.

 

[VerbalAbuse]

Obviously literotica cares about formatting, punctuation, dialog tags, etc.
It does restrict the freedom of expression -- one can't argue with that. Is this good? Is this bad? I can't say.

 

[beliefofmine]

Again, make your case to Laurel, not to us. We have no power to decide anything here. Only she does.

As for "should be allowed": it's her site. We get to play here, by her forbearance and her rules.

How do I get a hold of her?

 

[PennyThompson]

How do I get a hold of her?

The Resources page has a section, How to Contact Literotica.

Will your message convince Laurel to change Lit's publishing policies about paragraphs and punctuation? Honestly, no, probably not

I would note that the story you successfully published in 2020 seems to have perfectly fine paragraphs! After a quick scan, I think your longest paragraphs were around ten sentences long. A bit long to my personal tastes, but a lot less than 24 sentences in one paragraph!

 

[ElectricBlue]

I don't have a kindle or anything like that so I don't know. But do main stream writers today change their formats into shorter form to be more easily digestible via handheld devices, and an generation of people with shorter attention spans? I can't imagine a publisher editorializing an author and telling them to break up a story that works in print because they're concerned about how it will read on electronic devices.

I look at rules for them, guidelines for you. The rules are what's acceptable or not, and the guidelines are to guide you to creating the best work.

I could choose to write a horrible story content wise (within the rules) that I know would be hated. But would be published. Why then can't I write something that I know might be too long for some readers and not others?

I don't complain about the stories that are 1 sentences or ones that are +20 pages long. Those are my preferences and I choose to read stories that match my preferences. I think those writers should be allowed to make those works. But so should I. I should be allowed to have mine published here, that have some longer drawn out thoughts.

The paragraph lengths that you have here are easily read. I'd classify them as two very short paras, two medium length. If you lumped the whole lot together, I'd say, that's getting close to a wall of text, break it up into at least two paragraphs.

The key thing for digital text is, "Give the reader white space." Print book layout conventions don't readily apply to digital text. The site has to cater for multiple devices, so that's the over-riding criteria for layout.

 

[StillStunned]

How do I get a hold of her?

There's an envelope in the upper right-hand corner of your screen. Click that, and "Start a new conversation". Send it to "Laurel". It usually helps if you're polite.

 

[Bazzle]

I just submitted a story that was rejected for paragraph length of all things.

It was stated that paragraphs should be kept to 4-8 sentences in the review, however the actual posted publishing guidelines state:

4. Paragraphs
Please break your story up into reasonably sized paragraphs. Literotica stories are often read on small screen devices where excessively long paragraphs fatigue some readers. Stories with few/no paragraph breaks may be sent back for further editing.

I think the paragraphs that I used are all reasonable length. There's only 1 slightly longer paragraph at the end (about 24 sentences, all relatively short/medium length), but it fully encompasses a single complete thought. There's not really anywhere I can logically see to break it apart, nor do I want to just for the sake of making it shorter. It definitely doesn't qualify for "few/no paragraph breaks".

It feels like the spirit of that guideline is to avoid stories that are written in a single large block of text. My story is broken into about 58 breaks/paragraphs. Not to mention that I see many other stories with paragraphs much longer than my own. In my opinion some of the stories I've read recently that are all 1 or 2 sentence lines just seem sloppy, like a stream of text messages. But they're welcome to post stories like that if they want, its how they intended to write them.

Am I wrong here? Am I just ranting? Is this the greatest sin?

Best Regards,
~Beliefofmine

My two pennies of thought.

I am useless at writing sentences and paragraphs that actually make sense (@StillStunned can vouch), BUT...one thing that I was always taught was give the words a chance to breath.

If you give your words a paragraph there is a space between them. The eye can focus on them meaning there is no noise surrounding them.

A wall of text is just HARD work, especially for the dyslexics like me.

Sometimes more white space is just better.

B

 

[beliefofmine]

My two pennies of thought.

I am useless at writing sentences and paragraphs that actually make sense (@StillStunned can vouch), BUT...one thing that I was always taught was give the words a chance to breath.

If you give your words a paragraph there is a space between them. The eye can focus on them meaning there is no noise surrounding them.

A wall of text is just HARD work, especially for the dyslexics like me.

Sometimes more white space is just better.

B

It's funny because I was taught the opposite. All my life I didn't write enough and struggled to stretch out my work. And now I'm being told the opposite. It's disheartening to say the least.

 

[ElectricBlue]

It's funny because I was taught the opposite. All my life I didn't write enough and struggled to stretch out my work. And now I'm being told the opposite. It's disheartening to say the least.

The thing to keep in mind is that the eye "sees" a digital screen differently, not the same way you see a page of printed text. Keep in mind also that most things "taught" might have been taught decades ago (when books ruled).

The suggestions folk are giving here (in essence, break up your page and give readers white space) come from experience publishing here, collective wisdom - for what it's worth - plus cognitive studies on how people process information, in particular, neuro-diverse folk who might think and process quite differently.

Don't be disheartened. Get your words down with no preconceived ideas as to what is "right" or "wrong" - but take a look around at other writer's content and ask yourself, why did that person do it that way? You'll probably find most writers will say, because it makes it easier to read. Think into the reader's mind set, they're your customers.

 

[beliefofmine]

The thing to keep in mind is that the eye "sees" a digital screen differently, not the same way you see a page of printed text. Keep in mind also that most things "taught" might have been taught decades ago (when books ruled).

The suggestions folk are giving here (in essence, break up your page and give readers white space) come from experience publishing here, collective wisdom - for what it's worth - plus cognitive studies on how people process information, in particular, neuro-diverse folk who might think and process quite differently.

Don't be disheartened. Get your words down with no preconceived ideas as to what is "right" or "wrong" - but take a look around at other writer's content and ask yourself, why did that person do it that way? You'll probably find most writers will say, because it makes it easier to read. Think into the reader's mind set, they're your customers.

I wish I could show you my story. I think that it does this with the exception of a single paragraph. And as I've stated previously, it really doesn't make sense to break up that paragraph. I think that if a reader gets to the end of the story, they'll endure a longer paragraph, and actually find it quite fulfilling.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I wish I could show you my story. I think that it does this with the exception of a single paragraph. And as I've stated previously, it really doesn't make sense to break up that paragraph. I think that if a reader gets to the end of the story, they'll endure a longer paragraph, and actually find it quite fulfilling.

I'd resubmit your story, after asking yourself why five times (there's a Japanese word for it, but I can't remember what it is - it's an old project management problem solving trick), ask yourself why you're so wedded to this paragraph being the length it is.

Once you've determined you're absolutely locked into it (why is that length so important?) you can resubmit it, argue your case to Laurel. Keep in mind she's been publishing stories for 25 years, and has a pretty good idea what works best in a story. If she lets it run, you're ahead - and if readers find it problematic, they'll let you know.

 

[beliefofmine]

I'd resubmit your story, after asking yourself why five times (there's a Japanese word for it, but I can't remember what it is - it's an old project management problem solving trick), ask yourself why you're so wedded to this paragraph being the length it is.

Once you've determined you're absolutely locked into it (why is that length so important?) you can resubmit it, argue your case to Laurel. Keep in mind she's been publishing stories for 25 years, and has a pretty good idea what works best in a story. If she lets it run, you're ahead - and if readers find it problematic, they'll let you know.

OK I reread it, and there is a couple places where I could break it up. However it ruins the flow of the story. It's all a build up to the end, and it feels like something that you need to take time and relish in.

And honestly, with it broken up my mind keeps telling me it's not long enough. I would want to add more, because you cant climax a story with 4 lines.

Idk, I'm just distraught.

 

[ElectricBlue]

OK I reread it, and there is a couple places where I could break it up. However it ruins the flow of the story. It's all a build up to the end, and it feels like something that you need to take time and relish in.

And honestly, with it broken up my mind keeps telling me it's not long enough. I would want to add more, because you cant climax a story with 4 lines.

Idk, I'm just distraught.

How long is the paragraph (words, not sentences)?

I had a look in one of my stories - a typical paragraph length is around eighty - hundred words. If I get much over a hundred, I'll go look for a natural break. Seems to suit my style. Paragraphs allow the reader to take a deep breath.

 

[Bazzle]

The white space thing was actually for my GCSE course work. The teacher told me to reformat.

I've always taken it forward.