When you’re writing, try to make it as easy as possible to read.
Read these two paragraphs and let me know which you preferred reading;
#1
That seemed like a decent enough response. And it would give me the necessary time to clear my head. James responded uncharacteristically quickly, even for him. 'Actually, I'd like to come down now if you don't mind. May I see you?' His answer was curt, and quite frankly didn't seem like him. 'Uh, sure. Please just knock before you come in though.'
#2
That seemed like a decent enough response. And it would give me the necessary time to clear my head.
James responded uncharacteristically quickly, even for him.
'Actually, I'd like to come down now if you don't mind. May I see you?'
His answer was curt, and quite frankly didn't seem like him.
'Uh, sure. Please just knock before you come in though.'
Now, I don't know about you, but paragraph #2 is easier for me to follow. It shows a distinct difference between dialogue and action in the book.
When dialogue (either thoughts, texting, or speaking) is just left in the middle of a paragraph, it kind of looks all jumbled together.
If you go pick up a book in Barnes and Noble, is the dialogue all jumbled together in a paragraph? No! Each person's thought or speech is given it's own line.
This brings me to another point; make sure that you have distinct paragraphs!
I've seen some stories where it's just one long, continuous "paragraph" for paaaaaaages.
A paragraph is typically 5-8 sentences. It's perfectly fine if you're a little over that number or a little under that, as long as people are able to tell where the paragraphs are starting and stopping. (:
xoxoxo
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Princess_Dinky's 'How to Write a Good Fanfiction
FanfictionThis is my list of things to hopefully help make your fanfiction successful. I may not be the best writer, but after the past year and a half, I've gained a little bit of experience. I hope that you take the time to read this, and that it helps you...
