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Paragraphs and Changes

Posted by Glynis



When I was at school in the UK, writing paragraphs was an accumulation of many sentences in a block. Looking back at my composition writing of the late 1960's to 1970's, so much has changed.

The teachers taught a rigid set method, with no patience for those who wanted to make the page look more interesting. Pictures were not allowed, it was a written piece, and an A4 sheet usually housed two large paragraphs.

I frustrated one tutor (age 190+) in teaching skills, he never understood why I wanted smaller paragraphs. A new,'hip' teacher arrived and embraced my need to flow in my own way. If a diagram added to the storyline, it was allowed to stay, if not he taught me how to describe it.

I was allowed to form smaller paragraphs, making the page look more inviting.
I thank that teacher for his futuristic view. Writing paragraphs for my book are always a challenge and it is good when I can move smaller ones about, improving the chapter rather than having to rewrite one whole block.

I have been reading up on paragraph structuring today and found a few interesting sites to share.

This Site is good, it is clear and laid out well. It shows you how to form:
The 3 opening structures to a paragraph, how to write a paragraph and the types of paragraphs.

Another place to visit for Paragraph building. They have a troubleshooting section to help.

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8 Comments:

  1. Carol @ TheWritersPorch said...
    23/6/09  
    I never have time to write anymore!
    Come fall, my muse will insist on it though!
    Jody Hedlund said...
    23/6/09  
    It's interesting how times change and how short paragraphs are really the "in" thing now!

    Thanks for stopping by my blog today! I appreciated your comment! Hope to see you again!
    NYSILLY.COM said...
    24/6/09  
    Hey you have a great blog and Im glad I stumbled upon it. (pun not intended) Looking forward to reading more posts from you.

    Post answer. Get paid. That simple!
    Sharkbytes said...
    24/6/09  
    Sounds like good advice. I like to mix some longer and some short ones.
    Sunflower Ranch said...
    24/6/09  
    Glynis! Thank you for your informative post with the links. I feel as you do about paragraphs. I like shorter ones, though I must admit sometimes they go all over the place. I try to break up big chunks after they're written, where there is a natural idea break. I am curious to see how the experts describe it and what they suggest. Thanks again for the great post! :D
    czaroma said...
    24/6/09  
    Hi Glynis, thank you for sharing this good advice. Now I know that short paragraph is a good thing. Keep on writing :)
    Glynis said...
    24/6/09  
    Thanks folk for your comments, it is nice to see you all :)
    Ratty said...
    25/6/09  
    Paragraphs are my main problem so this will help me immensely. I have always been confused by them. The one good thing I noticed was the need to keep them short on a blog.

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