SPACE COAST WRITERS' GUILD

Topic: Paragraph Structure

Larry Davis - 1/15/2007 7:19:08 AM This one should be simple. Each character receives a new paragraph for dialog but what about short narrative following dialog? “I can’t take it any more,” Frank said. The dog was chewing on his shoe again. “Frank, leave the dog alone,” Mary scolded. Or is it: “I can’t take it any more,” Frank said. The dog was chewing on his shoe again. “Frank, leave the dog alone,” Mary scolded.

1/15/2007 2:58:31 PM - Dean N. You're second version is more correct. Mainly because you are changing the "focus" from what Frank is saying to what the dog is doing. I use a new paragraph each time I have a change in point of view, dialogue, and character. I also (and you might want to double check this) start a new paragraph when my character has "interior dialogue" that is when my character is "thinking".

1/19/2007 11:29:51 PM - Mary Brotherton I agree with you, Dean. I have seen this handled both ways, but the second version just makes reading easier. Of course, another way to handle this would be to simply find another way to write the same thing, and skip the narrative altogether. “I can’t take it any more,” Frank said, as the dog chewed on his shoe again. “Frank, leave the dog alone,” Mary scolded.

1/20/2007 8:47:56 AM - Bill Allen I don't exactly agree. Paragraph divisions are up to you, but usually associated tag information is in the same paragraph as the quote, except in special instances when the author is trying to accentuate the statement or cause the reader to pause slightly, which is often the case with humor (Punctuation takes the place of timing that a standup comedian might use.) In this case it seems as if the dog chewing the shoe is needed to explain why Frank is upset and belongs with the statement. Where it gets confusing is when one person is speaking and another person is reflecting on what they've said, and you want the two things to flow very quickly together. If you put them in the same paragraph it can confuse the reader as to who is speaking. Here's a simple example. "I'm not asking you to marry me." Please don't. "I just want to know where we stand."

2/1/2007 6:31:41 AM - Athena Sasso I agree with Bill. In the examples above, I like the first example better. It might depend on what came before the first line, but not necessarily. For instance, if what Frank can't take anymore is living with Mary, then the dog chewing on him is just funny and gives a comic counterpoint to a serious subject. When it comes in the same paragraph after the line of dialogue, it is read almost parenthetically, in my mind's ear. It looks, and therefore flows, better. I don't know of some specific rule here, but if I were reading this in its larger context, I believe the second example would make me pause, and can that ever be good?