What's The Deal with Paragraphs?

Howdy all! So. What is the deal with paragraphs? This is something I had a lot of problems with when I started writing as a kid. It always seem a bit useless to worry about creating paragraphs. There is, though, a major benefit to creating paragraphs – organization.

All a paragraph really is, is a way organize and arrange the information in your report or story. Don't think of paragraphs as some useless, redundant, and pointless element of literature. It can take a while to get used to using paragraphs properly, but once you do, you'll notice that your writing becomes much more coherent and easy to read. Imagine reading a book that didn't utilize paragraphs. First of all, keeping track of where you are on a page can become rather difficult. Also, if paragraphs are used incorrectly, it become an inconvenience for the read because sentences will change their topic without warning.

Every paragraphs should have its own theme. Notice how in the first paragraph of this article, I introduced my topic, but didn't actually talk about it until the next paragraph. This is how paragraphs are used as a way to organize information. They are a way of separating your topics.

I've always been asked, “But Logan! How long should my paragraphs be?” This is very simple question to answer. There is no answer. If you remember from secondary school, you were always told that a paragraph should have between 5 and 7 sentences. Any more or less, and it's incorrect. I was never sure why teachers said that, because it couldn't be farther from the truth. Your paragraph only needs to be long enough to incorporate all of your information about a given topic. Some paragraphs are only 1 sentence in fact, especially when dealing with dialog.

When you are about to transition from one paragraph to another, you might want to create an entry part. Have a look a the end of my first paragraph. Notice that I ended the paragraph by telling you what my next paragraph was going to be about. Also, notice that each on of my paragraphs has its own mini exposition. I should have a good idea about what your paragraph is about by just reading the first sentence.

These are just some tips to help you create more interesting and organized paragraphs. Don't over think things and don't make paragraphs a hassle. Once you get used to it, there really isn't anything intimidating or annoying about it. It just comes natural.