Your Paragraphing
Paragraphing, like punctuation is another thing that will om time become instinctive. Relax, if you don't know the niceties of paragraphing this is the way to fake it! The rest is refinement through expirience!
Imagine you're scrolling through the recent updates page and you see a fanfiction. Wow, it sounds seriously awesome with everything, pretty banner, neat summary and that rare pairing you love. There's nothing left to click and read, except...
"You like me!" Sister squealed, clapping her hands together with a metallic clink. She tried to shove herself bodily past her brother but Grif's physique was like fighting your way through a jumping castle. "That's hot!" "Ha, Tucker likes anything with an orifice. That is not a compliment," Church scoffed. He had been leaning against the wrecked tank watching on with amusement, but couldn't resist. "Not helping dude!""Didn't want to dude!" The day was bright, the air shimmered in the heat and Leonard L. Church couldn't bear another day. Every day was the same. Same fucking ritual. Pour Caboose is stupid Fruit Loops, kick Tucker out of the shower, smash Doc's Enya cd, throw Sister out of someones bed and spend the day standing out on the Blue Base cliff's waiting for a transmission, any transmission, from command until sun down. Rinse, lather and repeat. Of course it had always been that way but it was only in the last couple of weeks that it had seemed unbearable. Not since...Tex.Tex had always made this twenty seven degree Celcius hell tolerable. Even when she was bitching over the entertainment centre, even when she was beating his ass, or nagging him to death. Even when she was away chasing Wyoming, just knowing she was out meant he deal with this crap one more day because he might see her tomorrow. What happens to a ghost when their host is vaporised by a ten megaton explosion in the cold emptiness of space? It hurt to think about but at least it was providing a welcome distraction. Grif had somehow found out about his sister's sleeping arrangements and was not happy. Tucker grinned nastily at Grif, nudging his ribs even as Sister darted from one side to the other. "Bow chika wow- OW!" Tucker yowled as Grif whirled in a vicious arc, connecting with the casonova's exposed jaw. CRACK! My eyes! My eyes! Oh god my brain is melting! That's just a slice of a story, could you really sit down and stare at that for ten minutes? They're too busy thinking lovingly of asperin to even try enjoying it.
Time to take the first step on the road to enlightenment!
Rule 1: Everytime a new character speaks start a new line. One Character = One Paragraph
This is for organisation and so at a glance you don't have to puzzle out who is speaking.
"You like me!" Sister squealed, clapping her hands together with a metallic clink. She tried to shove herself bodily past her brother but Grif's physique was like fighting your way through a jumping castle. "That's hot!"
"Ha, Tucker likes anything with an orifice. That is not a compliment," Church scoffed. He had been leaning against the wrecked tank watching on with amusement, but couldn't resist.
"Not helping dude!"
"Didn't want to dude!" The day was bright, the air shimmered in the heat and Leonard L. Church couldn't bear another day. Every day was the same. Same fucking ritual. Pour Caboose is stupid Fruit Loops, kick Tucker out of the shower, smash Doc's Enya cd, throw Sister out of someones bed and spend the day standing out on the Blue Base cliff's waiting for a transmission, any transmission, from command until sun down. Rinse, lather and repeat. Of course it had always been that way but it was only in the last couple of weeks that it had seemed unbearable. Not since...Tex.Tex had always made this twenty seven degree Celcius hell tolerable. Even when she was bitching over the entertainment centre, even when she was beating his ass, or nagging him to death. Even when she was away chasing Wyoming, just knowing she was out meant he deal with this crap one more day because he might see her tomorrow. What happens to a ghost when their host is vaporised by a ten megaton explosion in the cold emptiness of space? It hurt to think about but at least it was providing a welcome distraction. Grif had somehow found out about his sister's sleeping arrangements and was not happy. Tucker grinned nastily at Grif, nudging his ribs even as Sister darted from one side to the other.
"Bow chika wow- OW!" Tucker yowled as Grif whirled in a vicious arc, connecting with the casonova's exposed jaw. CRACK! There we go, there's our first bit of relief. If I was flicking through stories and I came across this one I'd give it a chance to warm up because I can see the attempts at paragraphing but you can't stop there. What you have smack in the middle is a runon paragraph. A runon paragraph is several paragraphs mooshed together.
Rule 2: Separate runon paragraphs into topics. One Topic = One Paragraph.
This is difficult because quite often topics aren't distinct, one will flow into another but give it your best burl and time, practice and lots of reading. Slowly and surely it'll be habit. Here I can see
"You like me!" Sister squealed, clapping her hands together with a metallic clink. She tried to shove herself bodily past her brother but Grif's physique was like fighting your way through a jumping castle. "That's hot!"
"Ha, Tucker likes anything with an orifice. That is not a compliment," Church scoffed. He had been leaning against the wrecked tank watching on with amusement, but couldn't resist.
"Not helping dude!"
"Didn't want to dude!"
The day was bright, the air shimmered in the heat and Leonard L. Church couldn't bear another day. Every day was the same. Same fucking ritual.
Pour Caboose is stupid Fruit Loops, kick Tucker out of the shower, smash Doc's Enya cd, throw Sister out of someones bed and spend the day standing out on the Blue Base cliff's waiting for a transmission, any transmission, from command until sun down. Rinse, lather and repeat. Of course it had always been that way but it was only in the last couple of weeks that it had seemed unbearable. Not since... Tex.
Tex had always made this twenty seven degree Celcius hell tolerable. Even when she was bitching over the entertainment centre, even when she was beating his ass, or nagging him to death. Even when she was away chasing Wyoming, just knowing she was out meant he deal with this crap one more day because he might see her tomorrow.
What happens to a ghost when their host is vaporised by a ten megaton explosion in the cold emptiness of space?
It hurt to think about but at least it was providing a welcome distraction. Grif had somehow found out about his sister's sleeping arrangements and was not happy. Tucker grinned nastily at Grif, nudging his ribs even as Sister darted from one side to the other.
"Bow chika wow- OW!" Tucker yowled as Grif whirled in a vicious arc, connecting with the casonova's exposed jaw. CRACK! Rule 3: Start a new paragraph for emphasis.
If you want a sound effect, a poignant noise, dramatic gesture or plot revelation, to have the full impact on the reader give it a line all of its own. Don't over do it, like everything if you use it too much it'll lose its effect.
"You like me!" Sister squealed, clapping her hands together with a metallic clink. She tried to shove herself bodily past her brother but Grif's physique was like fighting your way through a jumping castle. "That's hot!"
"Ha, Tucker likes anything with an orifice. That is not a compliment," Church scoffed. He had been leaning against the wrecked tank watching on with amusement, but couldn't resist.
"Not helping dude!"
"Didn't want to dude!"
The day was bright, the air shimmered in the heat and Leonard L. Church couldn't bear another day. Every day was the same. Same fucking ritual.
Pour Caboose is stupid Fruit Loops, kick Tucker out of the shower, smash Doc's Enya cd, throw Sister out of someones bed and spend the day standing out on the Blue Base cliff's waiting for a transmission, any transmission, from command until sun down. Rinse, lather and repeat. Of course it had always been that way but it was only in the last couple of weeks that it had seemed unbearable. Not since...
Tex.
Tex had always made this twenty seven degree Celcius hell tolerable. Even when she was bitching over the entertainment centre, even when she was beating his ass, or nagging him to death. Even when she was away chasing Wyoming, just knowing she was out meant he deal with this crap one more day because he might see her tomorrow.
What happens to a ghost when their host is vaporised by a ten megaton explosion in the cold emptiness of space?
It hurt to think about but at least it was providing a welcome distraction. Grif had somehow found out about his sister's sleeping arrangements and was not happy. Tucker grinned nastily at Grif, nudging his ribs even as Sister darted from one side to the other.
"Bow chika wow- OW!" Tucker yowled as Grif whirled in a vicious arc, connecting with the casonova's exposed jaw.
CRACK! Rule 4: Always use double spacing on the internet.
That's good, that's correct but you can still do more. After a period of time that still looks cramped, still difficult to read. Wherever you post, you need to make sure you use double spacing. In the publishing world, your submission must be double spaced or it will go right in the trash and readers will do the same.
"You like me!" Sister squealed, clapping her hands together with a metallic clink. She tried to shove herself bodily past her brother but Grif's physique was like fighting your way through a jumping castle. "That's hot!" "Ha, Tucker likes anything with an orifice. That is not a compliment," Church scoffed. He had been leaning against the wrecked tank watching on with amusement, but couldn't resist. "Not helping dude!" "Didn't want to dude!" The day was bright, the air shimmered in the heat and Leonard L. Church couldn't bear another day. Every day was the same. Same fucking ritual. Pour Caboose is stupid Fruit Loops, kick Tucker out of the shower, smash Doc's Enya cd, throw Sister out of someones bed and spend the day standing out on the Blue Base cliff's waiting for a transmission, any transmission, from command until sun down. Rinse, lather and repeat. Of course it had always been that way but it was only in the last couple of weeks that it had seemed unbearable. Not since... Tex. Tex had always made this twenty seven degree Celcius hell tolerable. Even when she was bitching over the entertainment centre, even when she was beating his ass, or nagging him to death. Even when she was away chasing Wyoming, just knowing she was out meant he deal with this crap one more day because he might see her tomorrow. What happens to a ghost when their host is vaporised by a ten megaton explosion in the cold emptiness of space? It hurt to think about but at least it was providing a welcome distraction. Grif had somehow found out about his sister's sleeping arrangements and was not happy. Tucker grinned nastily at Grif, nudging his ribs even as Sister darted from one side to the other. "Bow chika wow- OW!" Tucker yowled as Grif whirled in a vicious arc, connecting with the casonova's exposed jaw. CRACK! Okay, time for the checklist!
Imagine you're scrolling through the recent updates page and you see a fanfiction. Wow, it sounds seriously awesome with everything, pretty banner, neat summary and that rare pairing you love. There's nothing left to click and read, except...
"You like me!" Sister squealed, clapping her hands together with a metallic clink. She tried to shove herself bodily past her brother but Grif's physique was like fighting your way through a jumping castle. "That's hot!" "Ha, Tucker likes anything with an orifice. That is not a compliment," Church scoffed. He had been leaning against the wrecked tank watching on with amusement, but couldn't resist. "Not helping dude!""Didn't want to dude!" The day was bright, the air shimmered in the heat and Leonard L. Church couldn't bear another day. Every day was the same. Same fucking ritual. Pour Caboose is stupid Fruit Loops, kick Tucker out of the shower, smash Doc's Enya cd, throw Sister out of someones bed and spend the day standing out on the Blue Base cliff's waiting for a transmission, any transmission, from command until sun down. Rinse, lather and repeat. Of course it had always been that way but it was only in the last couple of weeks that it had seemed unbearable. Not since...Tex.Tex had always made this twenty seven degree Celcius hell tolerable. Even when she was bitching over the entertainment centre, even when she was beating his ass, or nagging him to death. Even when she was away chasing Wyoming, just knowing she was out meant he deal with this crap one more day because he might see her tomorrow. What happens to a ghost when their host is vaporised by a ten megaton explosion in the cold emptiness of space? It hurt to think about but at least it was providing a welcome distraction. Grif had somehow found out about his sister's sleeping arrangements and was not happy. Tucker grinned nastily at Grif, nudging his ribs even as Sister darted from one side to the other. "Bow chika wow- OW!" Tucker yowled as Grif whirled in a vicious arc, connecting with the casonova's exposed jaw. CRACK! My eyes! My eyes! Oh god my brain is melting! That's just a slice of a story, could you really sit down and stare at that for ten minutes? They're too busy thinking lovingly of asperin to even try enjoying it.
Time to take the first step on the road to enlightenment!
Rule 1: Everytime a new character speaks start a new line. One Character = One Paragraph
This is for organisation and so at a glance you don't have to puzzle out who is speaking.
"You like me!" Sister squealed, clapping her hands together with a metallic clink. She tried to shove herself bodily past her brother but Grif's physique was like fighting your way through a jumping castle. "That's hot!"
"Ha, Tucker likes anything with an orifice. That is not a compliment," Church scoffed. He had been leaning against the wrecked tank watching on with amusement, but couldn't resist.
"Not helping dude!"
"Didn't want to dude!" The day was bright, the air shimmered in the heat and Leonard L. Church couldn't bear another day. Every day was the same. Same fucking ritual. Pour Caboose is stupid Fruit Loops, kick Tucker out of the shower, smash Doc's Enya cd, throw Sister out of someones bed and spend the day standing out on the Blue Base cliff's waiting for a transmission, any transmission, from command until sun down. Rinse, lather and repeat. Of course it had always been that way but it was only in the last couple of weeks that it had seemed unbearable. Not since...Tex.Tex had always made this twenty seven degree Celcius hell tolerable. Even when she was bitching over the entertainment centre, even when she was beating his ass, or nagging him to death. Even when she was away chasing Wyoming, just knowing she was out meant he deal with this crap one more day because he might see her tomorrow. What happens to a ghost when their host is vaporised by a ten megaton explosion in the cold emptiness of space? It hurt to think about but at least it was providing a welcome distraction. Grif had somehow found out about his sister's sleeping arrangements and was not happy. Tucker grinned nastily at Grif, nudging his ribs even as Sister darted from one side to the other.
"Bow chika wow- OW!" Tucker yowled as Grif whirled in a vicious arc, connecting with the casonova's exposed jaw. CRACK! There we go, there's our first bit of relief. If I was flicking through stories and I came across this one I'd give it a chance to warm up because I can see the attempts at paragraphing but you can't stop there. What you have smack in the middle is a runon paragraph. A runon paragraph is several paragraphs mooshed together.
Rule 2: Separate runon paragraphs into topics. One Topic = One Paragraph.
This is difficult because quite often topics aren't distinct, one will flow into another but give it your best burl and time, practice and lots of reading. Slowly and surely it'll be habit. Here I can see
"You like me!" Sister squealed, clapping her hands together with a metallic clink. She tried to shove herself bodily past her brother but Grif's physique was like fighting your way through a jumping castle. "That's hot!"
"Ha, Tucker likes anything with an orifice. That is not a compliment," Church scoffed. He had been leaning against the wrecked tank watching on with amusement, but couldn't resist.
"Not helping dude!"
"Didn't want to dude!"
The day was bright, the air shimmered in the heat and Leonard L. Church couldn't bear another day. Every day was the same. Same fucking ritual.
Pour Caboose is stupid Fruit Loops, kick Tucker out of the shower, smash Doc's Enya cd, throw Sister out of someones bed and spend the day standing out on the Blue Base cliff's waiting for a transmission, any transmission, from command until sun down. Rinse, lather and repeat. Of course it had always been that way but it was only in the last couple of weeks that it had seemed unbearable. Not since... Tex.
Tex had always made this twenty seven degree Celcius hell tolerable. Even when she was bitching over the entertainment centre, even when she was beating his ass, or nagging him to death. Even when she was away chasing Wyoming, just knowing she was out meant he deal with this crap one more day because he might see her tomorrow.
What happens to a ghost when their host is vaporised by a ten megaton explosion in the cold emptiness of space?
It hurt to think about but at least it was providing a welcome distraction. Grif had somehow found out about his sister's sleeping arrangements and was not happy. Tucker grinned nastily at Grif, nudging his ribs even as Sister darted from one side to the other.
"Bow chika wow- OW!" Tucker yowled as Grif whirled in a vicious arc, connecting with the casonova's exposed jaw. CRACK! Rule 3: Start a new paragraph for emphasis.
If you want a sound effect, a poignant noise, dramatic gesture or plot revelation, to have the full impact on the reader give it a line all of its own. Don't over do it, like everything if you use it too much it'll lose its effect.
"You like me!" Sister squealed, clapping her hands together with a metallic clink. She tried to shove herself bodily past her brother but Grif's physique was like fighting your way through a jumping castle. "That's hot!"
"Ha, Tucker likes anything with an orifice. That is not a compliment," Church scoffed. He had been leaning against the wrecked tank watching on with amusement, but couldn't resist.
"Not helping dude!"
"Didn't want to dude!"
The day was bright, the air shimmered in the heat and Leonard L. Church couldn't bear another day. Every day was the same. Same fucking ritual.
Pour Caboose is stupid Fruit Loops, kick Tucker out of the shower, smash Doc's Enya cd, throw Sister out of someones bed and spend the day standing out on the Blue Base cliff's waiting for a transmission, any transmission, from command until sun down. Rinse, lather and repeat. Of course it had always been that way but it was only in the last couple of weeks that it had seemed unbearable. Not since...
Tex.
Tex had always made this twenty seven degree Celcius hell tolerable. Even when she was bitching over the entertainment centre, even when she was beating his ass, or nagging him to death. Even when she was away chasing Wyoming, just knowing she was out meant he deal with this crap one more day because he might see her tomorrow.
What happens to a ghost when their host is vaporised by a ten megaton explosion in the cold emptiness of space?
It hurt to think about but at least it was providing a welcome distraction. Grif had somehow found out about his sister's sleeping arrangements and was not happy. Tucker grinned nastily at Grif, nudging his ribs even as Sister darted from one side to the other.
"Bow chika wow- OW!" Tucker yowled as Grif whirled in a vicious arc, connecting with the casonova's exposed jaw.
CRACK! Rule 4: Always use double spacing on the internet.
That's good, that's correct but you can still do more. After a period of time that still looks cramped, still difficult to read. Wherever you post, you need to make sure you use double spacing. In the publishing world, your submission must be double spaced or it will go right in the trash and readers will do the same.
"You like me!" Sister squealed, clapping her hands together with a metallic clink. She tried to shove herself bodily past her brother but Grif's physique was like fighting your way through a jumping castle. "That's hot!" "Ha, Tucker likes anything with an orifice. That is not a compliment," Church scoffed. He had been leaning against the wrecked tank watching on with amusement, but couldn't resist. "Not helping dude!" "Didn't want to dude!" The day was bright, the air shimmered in the heat and Leonard L. Church couldn't bear another day. Every day was the same. Same fucking ritual. Pour Caboose is stupid Fruit Loops, kick Tucker out of the shower, smash Doc's Enya cd, throw Sister out of someones bed and spend the day standing out on the Blue Base cliff's waiting for a transmission, any transmission, from command until sun down. Rinse, lather and repeat. Of course it had always been that way but it was only in the last couple of weeks that it had seemed unbearable. Not since... Tex. Tex had always made this twenty seven degree Celcius hell tolerable. Even when she was bitching over the entertainment centre, even when she was beating his ass, or nagging him to death. Even when she was away chasing Wyoming, just knowing she was out meant he deal with this crap one more day because he might see her tomorrow. What happens to a ghost when their host is vaporised by a ten megaton explosion in the cold emptiness of space? It hurt to think about but at least it was providing a welcome distraction. Grif had somehow found out about his sister's sleeping arrangements and was not happy. Tucker grinned nastily at Grif, nudging his ribs even as Sister darted from one side to the other. "Bow chika wow- OW!" Tucker yowled as Grif whirled in a vicious arc, connecting with the casonova's exposed jaw. CRACK! Okay, time for the checklist!
- I have started a new line with every new speaker- Yes/No
- I have started a new line for each new topic- Yes/No
- I have started a new line when I want to use emphasis- Yes/No
- I have used double spacing in my fanfic- Yes/No