Editing Paragraphs

I don't really understand the question? I just edit my work line by line? Are you asking if there is novel software out there?

Paragraphs are the largest single segment of the scenes a novel is crafted from.

The best way to edit, imo, is to divide your work into scenes.

Read each scene line for line for spelling and grammar, and then reread it again for content.

Software to tell you where to put paragraph breaks? I doubt it. I think that's something only humans can do well.

paragraphs

There's no software I know of that can help with paragraphs. There isn't even a hard and fast rule for what a paragraph should be in fiction. Nonfiction paragraphs do usually follow a set rule, but paragraphs in fiction are there almost as much because they read well, and do the job the writer wants them to do, rather than because of grammar or style rules.

A single scene may have one paragraph, or two hundred paragraphs, and it's unlikely any two writers would use the same number of paragraphs, even when writing the same scene.

Which does not mean you can break paragraphs wherever and however you want, unless there's a good reason for doing so, but it does mean that I seriously doubt you'll find any software that tells you how to write paragraphs in fiction.

I do think it pays to know exactly what a nonfiction paragraph should be, and to follow tis loosely, but in fiction, a paragraph is largely about feel, style, effect, and pace, while still making sense as a single unit of thought, action, or description.

I wouldn't worry too much about it. Read novels by good stylists, and trust your instincts. You may not need as much help as you think.

Is there a specific problem you're having with figuring out where to break paragraphs? If so, maybe someone here can help.

JD

What seems to work well is to pair motivation and reaction.

Redundant word of the day=blah...hehe

The editing software between my ears has served me well for decades.

Get Strunk & White's Elements of Style, READ OTHER WRITERS to see how they do the Paragraph Thing, practice, practice, practice, and get feedback.

Good luck!

Gillhoughly said:

The editing software between my ears has served me well for decades.

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The best software there is - and better still, it upgrades itself every time you open a book.

What they said.
Paragraph breaks have to do with story content and flow. No software can help you there.

What Zornhau said. Look out for a action/stimulus followed by a reaction segment. e.g. The bomb exploded while they danced around the room. Next, a variety of body parts stapled the walls...

Which reminds me has anyone ever used the auto summarize feature in MS Word? Try it sometime if you need a laugh. It's illustrative of what can't be done with software.

Kentuk said:

Which reminds me has anyone ever used the auto summarize feature in MS Word? Try it sometime if you need a laugh. It's illustrative of what can't be done with software.

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Absolutely hysterical.

But quite amazing if you tell it to merely highlight what it defines as "Main Points." It has a propensity to catch most of the key points, and I'd love to know how it does this. It must have to do with sentence structure...

(It highlights a lot of stuff that is only translitional as well... so I guess it isn't that amazing. A shotgun fired into a barrel of fish has to hit something, right?)

I could not imagine trusting that task to any software.

Kentuk said:

Which reminds me has anyone ever used the auto summarize feature in MS Word? Try it sometime if you need a laugh. It's illustrative of what can't be done with software.

Click to expand...

No wonder no one wants my 2 cents anymore.

JPS

Ha, the 10 sentence or less auto summary of my novel.

Quincy replies. Quincy laughs. Peter!” Quincy laughs. “AMY! AMY!” “AMY! AMY!”
QUINCY! “Quincy!”