Self-Editing Tip #3: It’s Okay to be Spacy! In fact, We Prefer It!
And so do your readers, especially ones on small devices
When you’re reading and see a really long paragraph, or an article full of nothing but long paragraphs, is that a turn-off?
Reading long paragraphs is harder than reading shorter ones.
Our brains and eyes have to work harder to keep track of where we are. If we stop for a sip, it may be hard to refind our spot.
And reading shorter paragraphs is not only easier, it’s faster.
Even though the story looks longer, it has a flow to it.
What makes that flow?
What we call in the biz, and excuse the expression, ‘white space.’
Even if white isn’t the background color. You get the idea.
And there’s another reason: Sixty percent of Medium readers read on smaller devices. Like phones.
This makes your paragraphs longer anyway because the line width is narrower. So anything we can do to break up those longer paragraphs makes reading so much more pleasant.
For everyone.
In addition to formatting issues, there’s the integrity of the paragraph.
Each one of them should be about one thing.
If you introduce a new subject or jump forward or backward in time, that’s probably a good place to start a new paragraph.
Here’s what Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) has to say about this:
You should start a new paragraph when: When you begin a new idea or point. New ideas should always start in new paragraphs. If you have an extended idea that spans multiple paragraphs, each new point within that idea should have its own paragraph.
They can be short.
A one-sentence paragraph is fine.
In fact, that’s a good way to emphasize a point. Maybe a deep or poignant insight. Or maybe because it’s so beautifully written, it wants to stand out.
I do that often in my editing, as some of you may have noticed. I will leave you a note in case you’d prefer not. But most of you appreciate it giving focus to your gems.
Don’t take my word for this.
Read two different stories–-one with long paragraphs and one with short paragraphs, and see how each feels. Tell us about it in the comments.
For more information about how I approach editing your stories, read this article:
Here’s the complete set of Self-Editing Tips published so far:
What are you ‘too old’ or ‘too scared’ to do? Let me show you how!
Marilyn Flower is a sacred fool who writes every day — fiction, poetry, and blogs — inspired by a process called SoulCollage®. She’s the author of Creative Blogging: Ninja Writers Guide to Character Development and Bucket Listers, Get Your Brave On. Follow her Sacred Foolishness or SoulCollage® for Writers, and Stay in touch!
