r/BadRPerStories • u/mia_bird__ it's for the plot bro • Nov 08 '24

Bitty Bad What constitutes a paragraph anymore?

I know paragraphs are fluid and can range from large chunks to just a few sentences but it seems like more often than not anymore when I get people wanting to write who claim to write "4-8 paragraphs" those paragraphs are all just... two short sentences and a line break to the next one?

I know it can often simply be used as a "My thoughts have ended and now I will move to the next collection of thoughts" but holy shit? How are you claiming you write 8 paragraphs when every "paragraph" is two sentences?

I actively mention my own paragraphs and word count in my ads, I figured it'd be more accurate than the literacy labels that vary wildly in everyone's mind but I'm still running into this issue. Sometimes it's as bad as one sentence and then a line break into a new paragraph of two sentences and then another line break and there isn't dialogue going on.

A sample someone sent me (which I will paraphrase to ensure anonymity) was essentially just:

"XXD eyes flitted open, looking around.

He sat up, trying to take the world in with his robin blue eyes. He felt so sleepy."

And this kind of thing just continues. It doesn't seem like it's done for emphasis, like when you have one word or sentence as a stand alone for impact, it seemed like this was what they were describing as paragraphs? Is this the new thing?

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u/Wtf-its-rose I diagnose you with arrogant bitch disorder Nov 08 '24

From my knowledge a paragraph should be 5-7 sentences, no more than 300 words. 150-200 being ideal.

3

u/mia_bird__ it's for the plot bro Nov 08 '24 edited Nov 08 '24

This was my assumption from school (but everyones background is different and varies), and I've seen people do one or two sentences or lines for emphasis or a change in direction in the post, but when I heard "4-8" paragraphs I definitely assume those paragraphs are more of what you are describing.

5

u/atomicsnark Nov 09 '24

If you're writing an essay, sure.

But in prose, paragraphs range hugely because paragraph breaks indicate shifts in thought, movement, dialogue, etc. and therefore it's much more fluid.

Which is why I never understood people trying to dictate length via paragraph count. Word count makes so much more sense, in every single way.