Short paragraphs? Why?

[LisaMayTurner]

I'm thinking of writing some stories of my own and I'm finding a lot of people that write in tiny little two or three line paragraphs. This is rarely allowing detail and description. Why do people do this? Can anyone explain? Sex is so wonderfully enriching and beautifully adventurous and packed with heaps of emotion and action/reaction. I can see that tiny paragraphs add pace and speed, but all the way through everything that happens in an unfolding story really fragments any focus. Why is there a liked passion for this snappy and thin linguistic style of expression?

 

[AndersonsBiographer]

IMO short sentences/paragraphs are good for conveying action scenes, longer ones are good for drawn-out processions of events. So whether you'll use one or the other depends in large part on the type of scene you're trying to create.

 

[LisaMayTurner]

IMO short sentences/paragraphs are good for conveying action scenes, longer ones are good for drawn-out processions of events. So whether you'll use one or the other depends in large part on the type of scene you're trying to create.

So you think a mix is good? This makes sense. But only one or two sentence paragrapghs all the way though? Do you think that's good for narrative development and pace variations?

 

[Yesok1]

I write in short paragraphs, it depends on the language that you use in the writing. I write reports at work, these are short and concise and I tend to do the same with my stories.

The reader may find it easier reading this way too.

I'm not a professional author, and only write in the way I feel comfortable with. I have changed and experimented with tone, language and my descriptive text, but find the comments sometimes are quite harsh.

I say write in the fashion you are comfortable with!

 

[StillStunned]

My paragraphs are mostly 60-80 words. Not only for people who read on their phones, or similar small screens, but I also find that shorter paragraphs allow me to alternate more between action, exposition and dialogue. My philosophy for writing is that every word should draw the reader forward, and short sentences and paragraphs help to keep the momentum going.

When it comes to climactic moments (sexual and otherwise), the sentences will become longer, to leave the reader out of breath.

But this is only one way of doing it, of course, and not necessarily the best. It's just the way I prefer.

 

[OverconfidentSarcasm]

Personally, I always explained that away with Lit's page design.

If you write your story on a device that uses a proper monitor, you can have up to 100 characters in a text line, which means that a 500-word paragraph would consist of five text lines. But if you write your story on a smartphone with a smaller screen, text lines can shrink to as little as 40 characters per text line, making a 500-word paragraph 13 lines long.

So, if you write on a phone, it's easy to think that your story will look like a wall of text, tempting authors to write shorter paragraphs to increase readability.

 

[LisaMayTurner]

My paragraphs are mostly 60-80 words. Not only for people who read on their phones, or similar small screens, but I also find that shorter paragraphs allow me to alternate more between action, exposition and dialogue. My philosophy for writing is that every word should draw the reader forward, and short sentences and paragraphs help to keep the momentum going.

When it comes to climactic moments (sexual and otherwise), the sentences will become longer, to leave the reader out of breath.

But this is only one way of doing it, of course, and not necessarily the best. It's just the way I prefer.

But doesn't that mean you write for east and rapid consumption, and not for deeply grounded erotic passion that makes people stop and think and travel along paths not normally walked upon in the metro travelling bustle of urban decay? In other words, you write for people who like to wank off in 5 minutes?

 

[LisaMayTurner]

My paragraphs are mostly 60-80 words. Not only for people who read on their phones, or similar small screens, but I also find that shorter paragraphs allow me to alternate more between action, exposition and dialogue. My philosophy for writing is that every word should draw the reader forward, and short sentences and paragraphs help to keep the momentum going.

When it comes to climactic moments (sexual and otherwise), the sentences will become longer, to leave the reader out of breath.

But this is only one way of doing it, of course, and not necessarily the best. It's just the way I prefer.

Is personal preference all the writer needs to concern their writing with? Is it really that insular? That makes it very easy to do, for sure. Thanks!

 

[LisaMayTurner]

Personally, I always explained that away with Lit's page design.

If you write your story on a device that uses a proper monitor, you can have up to 100 characters in a text line, which means that a 500-word paragraph would consist of five text lines. But if you write your story on a smartphone with a smaller screen, text lines can shrink to as little as 40 characters per text line, making a 500-word paragraph 13 lines long.

So, if you write on a phone, it's easy to think that your story will look like a wall of text, tempting authors to write shorter paragraphs to increase readability.

So writing is enslaved to the immediacy of technology? It's not connected to human creativity or the passions and complexities of sexual emotion?

 

[StillStunned]

Is personal preference all the writer needs to concern their writing with? Is it really that insular? That makes it very easy to do, for sure. Thanks!

There are millions of readers here, and I won't please them all. So I write what I want to write, and what my wife wants me to read to her. This is a hobby, so I just do what I like best. Any readers who enjoy my style will be happy, and for anyone else there are hundreds of thousands of other stories.

But doesn't that mean you write for east and rapid consumption, and not for deeply grounded erotic passion that makes people stop and think and travel along paths not normally walked upon in the metro travelling bustle of urban decay? In other words, you write for people who like to wank off in 5 minutes?

I write both kinds. I have a bunch of strokers, but I also have longer pieces with plot and character development. Check out The Walled Garden, The Countesses of Tannensdal or The Rivals (particularly the fifth instalment). Or even a few shorter pieces such as Fairytale of New York or Life and Death of the She-Wolf. Some slight changes in style, to serve different purposes, but I consistently keep the prose manageable from the reader's perspective.

Unless I'm writing poetry, the words serve the story, not the other way around.

So writing is enslaved to the immediacy of technology? It's not connected to human creativity or the passions and complexities of sexual emotion?

The medium influences the art. It always has.

 

[AndersonsBiographer]

So, if you write on a phone, it's easy to think that your story will look like a wall of text, tempting authors to write shorter paragraphs to increase readability.

Do people really do this?

I quit owning a phone as soon as I quit working a job that required it of me. I can't trying to write anything substantial on one of the things, and reading on one sounds even more difficult.

In fact, if I was "serious" about my written material, I would probably put it down on paper and then upload it to a digital format. I'm sure I would have fewer errors and better content that way.

 

[OverconfidentSarcasm]

Do people really do this?

I quit owning a phone as soon as I quit working a job that required it of me. I can't trying to write anything substantial on one of the things, and reading on one sounds even more difficult.

In fact, if I was "serious" about my written material, I would probably put it down on paper and then upload it to a digital format. I'm sure I would have fewer errors and better content that way.

Yeah, if you visit the fitting threads in the Author's Hangout, there are quite a few people who say they like to write while lying on their backs in their beds, or while sitting in the train, or whatever situation you can imagine where pulling out a desktop computer isn't an option.

I understand your sentiment, though. I can not, for the life of me, write on anything else but a proper keyboard ever since I learned the touch system. Even a Laptop is hard for me because I keep placing my forearms on the touchpad...

 

[StillStunned]

Even a Laptop is hard for me because I keep placing my forearms on the touchpad...

Most laptops have an option for disabling the touchpad nowadays. I often do it. My big thumbs keep dragging across it and sending the cursor all over the place.

 

[MrDevereaux]

Writing in short paragraphs creates tension. It’s useful if dealing with a quick, fast paced scene. Sustained use can make the reader feel overwhelmed, like those films that have pow-pow-pow-pow cutting from faces/places.

Your post asks why …

You’d have to ask the individual writers. Personally, IMO, being able to utilise a mix of paragraph styles and lengths demonstrates skill. Allowing a degree of control and making the reader wait for that reveal. Another reason could come down to the formats in which people write; the text boxes on a smartphone screen are different to that on a desktop or tablet, the smaller space can make paragraphs look deceptively longer than they are. Possibly, this comes down to how people read on a smart phone, smaller paragraphs makes the story look more digestible … I think Yesok1 highlighted this as coming from writing in a different style entirely.

As others have said: your writing style is your style. How you feel comfortable and confident in writing will show through in your style. If your style is long, flowing paragraphs that build a scene and take the reader on a journey … that’s your style, that’s how you express yourself. Not everyone wants wham-bam-thank-you-mam

 

[alohadave]

But doesn't that mean you write for east and rapid consumption, and not for deeply grounded erotic passion that makes people stop and think and travel along paths not normally walked upon in the metro travelling bustle of urban decay? In other words, you write for people who like to wank off in 5 minutes?

You can write however you want. If you want to write long paragraphs, you can do that. Laurel may kick it back, she may not.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

I read and write on my phone, so yes, I've got used to writing short paragraphs that take up less than half the screen.

But that's no reason not to go into detail. I certainly like my details and happily include lots of them, possibly more than some readers would like. Just means the sentences have a bit more white space round them, is all.

Shorter paragraphs and more white space is a trend in print books, as well.

 

[SimonDoom]

I like to mix it up, with paragraphs ranging from one sentence to about six or seven, but seldom more than that. Regardless of the technological medium, paragraphs are more readable when they are not too long. But when reading on a smart phone, it's that much easier to read shorter paragraphs.

I think of a paragraph as one or more sentences that capture a particular unit of thought or dialogue or narrative. I rarely see any point in my stories in having very, very long paragraphs, so I never feel tempted to do that. When I write dialogue, I almost always break each speaker's dialogue snippet into a separate paragraph. I think it makes more sense that way, and it's easier and livelier to read that way.

I find--and maybe this is what the OP is getting at--that sometimes the preference for short paragraphs is overdone. If every single paragraph is only 1 or 2 sentences, it seems repetitive and forced to me. I think writing should ideally flow in a natural way while simultaneously expressing the author's meaning and story in the clearest way possible.

 

[TheLobster]

Once I read that short sentences and paragraphs make for a fast-paced action.

Then, in a different place, I read that long sentences make the reader race through the words more quickly, which obviously speeds up the action.

What I think now is that sticking to one stencil for a prolonged stretch -- be it long paragraphs or short -- is what drives down the pace and keeps it slower. Varying the paragraph, sprinkling in dialogue, and making the visual shape of text flow and change is what makes it feel fast.

 

[KeithD]

Then, in a different place, I read that long sentences make the reader race through the words more quickly, which obviously speeds up the action.

I can't see that happening with my long sentences. If they are long, they also are convoluted. Some of them probably require going to a blackboard and diagramming them out.

 

[KeithD]

Most laptops have an option for disabling the touchpad nowadays. I often do it. My big thumbs keep dragging across it and sending the cursor all over the place.

Yeah, the first thing I do when I get a new laptop is to paper over the touchpad. Next thing is to do the same thing with the camera.

 

[OffNSFW]

I keep them short because these stories are invariably going to be read on a screen, and a very small screen more often than not. Information tends to scan better on screens when it's kept to bite-size pieces.

This goes for just about any medium, not just text. For example, when movies started to have a second life on television, editing sped up and shot compositions got simpler. When information is on a screen, it needs to be refreshed every so often in order to hold the eye. The smaller the screen, the less room there is for dense detail and the more often the information must be refreshed.

 

[TheLobster]

I can't see that happening with my long sentences. If they are long, they also are convoluted. Some of them probably require going to a blackboard and diagramming them out.

It totally happens with most of my long sentences because they are usually just clauses stitched together by commas. In fact, my first editing pass is splicing those sentences to achieve the pacing I want, either divvying them up with full stops or stitching them back together with other marks.

Long, nested sentences are a different story. A much slower and convoluted one for sure.

 

[SimonDoom]

Then, in a different place, I read that long sentences make the reader race through the words more quickly, which obviously speeds up the action.

Or it may just reduce reader comprehension. If I face a wall of text, I may be more likely to race through it just to get to the end, thereby missing important meaning.

 

[lovecraft68]

I had to dig for this. This is a line from a review on one of my rare short stroker type stories done by @Carnevil9 a few years back. The topic of this thread reminded me of it.

At first, the short, one- to two-sentence paragraphs put me off, but not for long. I quickly realized that those gave it a cadence, a pace, that helped propel me forward through the plot. It almost began to feel like a prose poem or a spoken word performance.

I tend to get on a roll with several short paragraphs, and then drop a dramatic one line in between, and I've done this throughout entire stories. I had another reader mention it reads like "Staccato beat." and has an actual rhythm to it.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I'm thinking of writing some stories of my own and I'm finding a lot of people that write in tiny little two or three line paragraphs. This is rarely allowing detail and description. Why do people do this? Can anyone explain? Sex is so wonderfully enriching and beautifully adventurous and packed with heaps of emotion and action/reaction. I can see that tiny paragraphs add pace and speed, but all the way through everything that happens in an unfolding story really fragments any focus. Why is there a liked passion for this snappy and thin linguistic style of expression?

You're answering your own question. Don't follow what "a lot of people" do just because a lot of people do it, but understand why they do it. The main reason is to give the readers white space, to avoid walls of text on their devices. Think about digital content, not printed books - it's a different media, so think about that for a moment.

The other things you say are spot on. The art of good writing is getting the balance - mixing up your paragraph lengths knowingly, to control the ebb and flow of your story telling. But you should al so consider those folk who do read on a small screen, as well as those who read on a large one.