Use Each Paragraph to Convey a Message
The format for creative writing is not the same as for non-fiction. Paragraphs may be chopped up according to the pace of your plot. Characters talk in sentence fragments, and even run-on sentences. Occasionally, a paragraph, at least in a work of fiction, will be a single word.
When writing fiction, each paragraph must convey a message or idea. This idea should be presented as clearly as possible, and the following paragraph should convey either a related idea or a transition to a new idea. If a paragraph can do that for the reader in a word or a sentence, then it’s said all it needs to say.
Dialogue and Creative Writing
Most non-fiction writing doesn’t need a lot of dialogue. In fiction, and especially in novels, dialogue is often integral to the story and a necessary part of writing. There may be exchanges of dialogue between characters, or a single character who is speaking over several paragraphs. In between, you might have short descriptive paragraphs, or maybe even a break in the conversation, but the main focus will be dialogue.
Typically, a new paragraph is begun each time a new character speaks, even if this makes for a paragraph of a single sentence or word. It’s not a good idea to have huge blocks of text, so you’ll sometimes have to start a new paragraph when a single character has been speaking for too long. I generally don’t like to have a paragraph that’s longer than twelve sentences, but this is a personal choice.
The Structure of a Paragraph
In grade school, most of us are taught that a paragraph must have a beginning, middle, and end. This is generally interpreted to mean that all paragraphs must have three sentences, at the very minimum. In creative writing, at the very least, this is just not the case.
Read your paragraphs carefully. If a paragraph conveys its meaning and idea, then the structure of the paragraph is probably just fine for your novel. You’re not writing a technical guide or a how-to book, so don’t be too concerned with paragraph structure. If your novel flows better with several tiny paragraphs, then feel free to get creative.
There are many hints and tips for writing a novel. Sometimes, it is necessary to break the rules of grammar or ignore how you were taught to structure a paragraph to properly convey your message. Creative writing is just that, so look at the rules as guidelines instead.
