Strange Horizons Discussion Forum: How to Write a Paragraph, by Matthew Cheney

Nice. I too often despair at the somewhat formulaic single sentence paragraphs we see in a lot of "slipstream". The rhythms get predictable in the hands of lesser writers. Its pretty clear that many of todays writers were influenced by Vonnegut at a young age. The cheap imitations wear thin. The relationship between pulp writing and short, easily digestible paragraphs is a long one. I think short paragraphs give you a feeling of power.

I remember Vonnegut commenting that he would keep writing each page over and over again till he got it right, then move one. So he viewed each page as a unit. But then, he also used ellipses habitually. So we have words, sentences, paragraphs, sections divided by ellipses, chapters, and sometimes parts to contend with. There are many ways to divide a text it would seem.

I've also been wondering lately how paragraph length is being affected by the realities of the digital medium. I remember the old scifiction site used to print stories in a narrow band running down the middle of the page. Short paragraphs appeared longer, and long paragraphs looked impossible.

After reading this I've gone back and read all of Matt Cheney's columns. I agree with much of what he has to say about the state of science fiction.

Edited by SaintElsewhere (Tue Jul 17 2007 02:34 AM)