Squirrels: Paragraph Sizes

In journalism, we try to write in short paragraphs, with any single graf containing one main point OR one supporting idea OR one supporting quote. 

That's intended to make sure that different points and details stand out, instead of being lost in a mega-paragraph. It also means many grafs will be only one or two sentences long. 

Really, whether you have to start a new graf has nothing to do with size; rather, it's whether you have different types of information sets. So, I would say the following graf should be split up, even though it's pretty short ... 
 

“There was a big squirrel’s nest in the corner where the light wires were,” Brookes said. The replacement of the wiring cost $184, Brookes said.

 ... because you have two information sets: the main point in the first sentence, and then the supporting quote in the second. So I would do this:

“There was a big squirrel’s nest in the corner where the light wires were,” Brookes said.

The replacement of the wiring cost $184, Brookes said.

... which I know looks weird. The grafs look too small, if we're going by what we learned in English comp. But also keep in mind that in writing for newspapers and magazines, you have very narrow column widths, so to a reader the two grafs would probably look more like this:

“There was a big squirrel’s

nest in the corner where

the light wires were,” 

Brookes said.

The replacement of the

wiring cost $184, Brookes

said.

... and now the grafs don't look so tiny, do they? 
 
Let's look at this graf:

--> School dietician Linda Kasparov said she had a similar experience. Kasparov said she was driving home when the headlights, speedometer, and oil pressure gauge all quit working on her new car. Kasparov said she then pulled into a service station to find out what was wrong. She said the attendant was shocked when he opened the hood.  
  
... which, when it has its column width narrowed, looks like this:
  
School dietician Linda Kasparov
said she had a similar experience.
Kasparov said she was driving
home when the headlights,
speedometer, and oil pressure
gauge all quit working on her
new car. Kasparov said she
then pulled into a service station
to find out what was wrong. She
said the attendant was shocked 
when he opened the hood.
   
Kind of a big graf, right? Now, let's split it up: 

School dietician Linda Kasparov
said she had a similar experience. 

Kasparov said she was driving
home when the headlights,
speedometer, and oil pressure
gauge all quit working on her
new car.
 
Kasparov said she then pulled
into a service station to find
out what was wrong. She said
the attendant was shocked
when he opened the hood.
   

Now, key points stand out a bit more clearly. It's not a big jumble of text. And that's why we want to write in short grafs; to amplify key points and not let ideas get buried in a sea of words.

If in doubt, hit the "return" key. It wasn't your friend in English comp, but you all are pals now.

Squirrels: Paragraph Sizes

In journalism, we try to write in short paragraphs, with any single graf containing one main point OR one supporting idea OR one supporting quote.

That's intended to make sure that different points and details stand out, instead of being lost in a mega-paragraph. It also means many grafs will be only one or two sentences long.

Really, whether you have to start a new graf has nothing to do with size; rather, it's whether you have different types of information sets. So, I would say the following graf should be split up, even though it's pretty short ...
 

“There was a big squirrel’s nest in the corner where the light wires were,” Brookes said. The replacement of the wiring cost $184, Brookes said.

 ... because you have two information sets: the main point in the first sentence, and then the supporting quote in the second. So I would do this:

“There was a big squirrel’s nest in the corner where the light wires were,” Brookes said.

The replacement of the wiring cost $184, Brookes said.

... which I know looks weird. The grafs look too small, if we're going by what we learned in English comp. But also keep in mind that in writing for newspapers and magazines, you have very narrow column widths, so to a reader the two grafs would probably look more like this:

“There was a big squirrel’s

nest in the corner where

the light wires were,” 

Brookes said.

The replacement of the

wiring cost $184, Brookes

said.

... and now the grafs don't look so tiny, do they?

Let's look at this graf:

--> School dietician Linda Kasparov said she had a similar experience. Kasparov said she was driving home when the headlights, speedometer, and oil pressure gauge all quit working on her new car. Kasparov said she then pulled into a service station to find out what was wrong. She said the attendant was shocked when he opened the hood.  
 
... which, when it has its column width narrowed, looks like this:
 
School dietician Linda Kasparov
said she had a similar experience.
Kasparov said she was driving
home when the headlights,
speedometer, and oil pressure
gauge all quit working on her
new car. Kasparov said she
then pulled into a service station
to find out what was wrong. She
said the attendant was shocked 
when he opened the hood.
   
Kind of a big graf, right? Now, let's split it up:

School dietician Linda Kasparov
said she had a similar experience.

Kasparov said she was driving
home when the headlights,
speedometer, and oil pressure
gauge all quit working on her
new car.

Kasparov said she then pulled
into a service station to find
out what was wrong. She said
the attendant was shocked
when he opened the hood.
   

Now, key points stand out a bit more clearly. It's not a big jumble of text. And that's why we want to write in short grafs; to amplify key points and not let ideas get buried in a sea of words.

If in doubt, hit the "return" key. It wasn't your friend in English comp, but you all are pals now.

Squirrels: Paragraph Sizes

In journalism, we try to write in short paragraphs, with any single graf containing one main point OR one supporting idea OR one supporting quote. 

That's intended to make sure that different points and details stand out, instead of being lost in a mega-paragraph. It also means many grafs will be only one or two sentences long. 

Really, whether you have to start a new graf has nothing to do with size; rather, it's whether you have different types of information sets. So, I would say the following graf should be split up, even though it's pretty short ... 
 

“There was a big squirrel’s nest in the corner where the light wires were,” Brookes said. The replacement of the wiring cost $184, Brookes said.

 ... because you have two information sets: the main point in the first sentence, and then the supporting quote in the second. So I would do this:

“There was a big squirrel’s nest in the corner where the light wires were,” Brookes said.

The replacement of the wiring cost $184, Brookes said.

... which I know looks weird. The grafs look too small, if we're going by what we learned in English comp. But also keep in mind that in writing for newspapers and magazines, you have very narrow column widths, so to a reader the two grafs would probably look more like this:

“There was a big squirrel’s

nest in the corner where

the light wires were,” 

Brookes said.

The replacement of the

wiring cost $184, Brookes

said.

... and now the grafs don't look so tiny, do they? 
 
Let's look at this graf:

--> School dietician Linda Kasparov said she had a similar experience. Kasparov said she was driving home when the headlights, speedometer, and oil pressure gauge all quit working on her new car. Kasparov said she then pulled into a service station to find out what was wrong. She said the attendant was shocked when he opened the hood.  
  
... which, when it has its column width narrowed, looks like this:
  
School dietician Linda Kasparov
said she had a similar experience.
Kasparov said she was driving
home when the headlights,
speedometer, and oil pressure
gauge all quit working on her
new car. Kasparov said she
then pulled into a service station
to find out what was wrong. She
said the attendant was shocked 
when he opened the hood.
   
Kind of a big graf, right? Now, let's split it up: 

School dietician Linda Kasparov
said she had a similar experience. 

Kasparov said she was driving
home when the headlights,
speedometer, and oil pressure
gauge all quit working on her
new car.
 
Kasparov said she then pulled
into a service station to find
out what was wrong. She said
the attendant was shocked
when he opened the hood.
   

Now, key points stand out a bit more clearly. It's not a big jumble of text. And that's why we want to write in short grafs; to amplify key points and not let ideas get buried in a sea of words.

If in doubt, hit the "return" key. It wasn't your friend in English comp, but you all are pals now.

Squirrels: Paragraph Sizes

In journalism, we try to write in short paragraphs, with any single graf containing one main point OR one supporting idea OR one supporting quote. 

That's intended to make sure that different points and details stand out, instead of being lost in a mega-paragraph. It also means many grafs will be only one or two sentences long. 

Really, whether you have to start a new graf has nothing to do with size; rather, it's whether you have different types of information sets. So, I would say the following graf should be split up, even though it's pretty short ... 
 

“There was a big squirrel’s nest in the corner where the light wires were,” Brookes said. The replacement of the wiring cost $184, Brookes said.

 ... because you have two information sets: the main point in the first sentence, and then the supporting quote in the second. So I would do this:

“There was a big squirrel’s nest in the corner where the light wires were,” Brookes said.

The replacement of the wiring cost $184, Brookes said.

... which I know looks weird. The grafs look too small, if we're going by what we learned in English comp. But also keep in mind that in writing for newspapers and magazines, you have very narrow column widths, so to a reader the two grafs would probably look more like this:

“There was a big squirrel’s

nest in the corner where

the light wires were,” 

Brookes said.

The replacement of the

wiring cost $184, Brookes

said.

... and now the grafs don't look so tiny, do they? 
 
Let's look at this graf:

--> School dietician Linda Kasparov said she had a similar experience. Kasparov said she was driving home when the headlights, speedometer, and oil pressure gauge all quit working on her new car. Kasparov said she then pulled into a service station to find out what was wrong. She said the attendant was shocked when he opened the hood.  
  
... which, when it has its column width narrowed, looks like this:
  
School dietician Linda Kasparov
said she had a similar experience.
Kasparov said she was driving
home when the headlights,
speedometer, and oil pressure
gauge all quit working on her
new car. Kasparov said she
then pulled into a service station
to find out what was wrong. She
said the attendant was shocked 
when he opened the hood.
   
Kind of a big graf, right? Now, let's split it up: 

School dietician Linda Kasparov
said she had a similar experience. 

Kasparov said she was driving
home when the headlights,
speedometer, and oil pressure
gauge all quit working on her
new car.
 
Kasparov said she then pulled
into a service station to find
out what was wrong. She said
the attendant was shocked
when he opened the hood.
   

Now, key points stand out a bit more clearly. It's not a big jumble of text. And that's why we want to write in short grafs; to amplify key points and not let ideas get buried in a sea of words.

If in doubt, hit the "return" key. It wasn't your friend in English comp, but you all are pals now.

Squirrels: Paragraph Sizes

In journalism, we try to write in short paragraphs, with any single graf containing one main point OR one supporting idea OR one supporting quote.

That's intended to make sure that different points and details stand out, instead of being lost in a mega-paragraph. It also means many grafs will be only one or two sentences long.

Really, whether you have to start a new graf has nothing to do with size; rather, it's whether you have different types of information sets. So, I would say the following graf should be split up, even though it's pretty short ...

 

“There was a big squirrel’s nest in the corner where the light wires were,” Brookes said. The replacement of the wiring cost $184, Brookes said.

 ... because you have two information sets: the main point in the first sentence, and then the supporting quote in the second. So I would do this:

“There was a big squirrel’s nest in the corner where the light wires were,” Brookes said.

The replacement of the wiring cost $184, Brookes said.

... which I know looks weird. The grafs look too small, if we're going by what we learned in English comp. But also keep in mind that in writing for newspapers and magazines, you have very narrow column widths, so to a reader the two grafs would probably look more like this:

“There was a big squirrel’s

nest in the corner where

the light wires were,” 

Brookes said.

The replacement of the

wiring cost $184, Brookes

said.

... and now the grafs don't look so tiny, do they?

Let's look at this graf:

--> School dietician Linda Kasparov said she had a similar experience. Kasparov said she was driving home when the headlights, speedometer, and oil pressure gauge all quit working on her new car. Kasparov said she then pulled into a service station to find out what was wrong. She said the attendant was shocked when he opened the hood.  

... which, when it has its column width narrowed, looks like this:

School dietician Linda
Kasparov said she had
a similar experience.
Kasparov said she was
driving home when the
headlights, speedometer,
and oil pressure gauge
all quit working on her
new car. Kasparov said
she then pulled into a
service station to find
out what was wrong. She
said the attendant was
shocked when he opened
the hood.   

Kind of a big graf, right? Now, let's split it up:


School dietician Linda
Kasparov said she had
a similar experience.


Kasparov said she was
driving home when the
headlights, speedometer,
and oil pressure gauge
all quit working on her
new car.

Kasparov said she then
pulled into a service
station to find out what
was wrong.

She said the attendant was
shocked when he opened
the hood.
   

Now, key points stand out a bit more clearly. It's not a big jumble of text. And that's why we want to write in short grafs; to amplify key points and not let ideas get buried in a sea of words.

If in doubt, hit the "return" key. It wasn't your friend in English comp, but you all are pals now.

Controversial: Break Up Those Grafs!

In journalism, we generally try to write in very short paragraphs. What we try to do is limit a paragraph to one main idea OR one supporting idea OR one fact to support an idea. Not all of the above.

In general, that means many paragraphs will be just one or two sentences; the exact opposite of English comp writing styles that encourage massive paragraphs.

Let's look at this example of a mega-graf that can easily be cut up:

High school athletic director Hugh Baker told the board, “If safety is the issue of concern for the board, then our girls teams would have forfeit games if there are boys on the opposing teams." Last year alone the team would have had to forfeit 10 of the 18 games, therefore creating a losing record every year. Many think its very unfair, including Jacob Stevens. Stevens, a senior at ELHS said, “I don’t think it is fair. There are countries in the world where men’s field hockey is a recognized sport. Not every guy wants to play football, basketball, or baseball." Stevens was really looking forward to playing on the team his senior year.

Now, each unit of thought and each unit of supporting information has its own graf. It's easier for readers to pick out each independent thought or supporting fact. It's easier for editors to identify key points and supporting info, and find where such facts and info are lacking.

Okay, this single graf contains several elements: the first sentence is a quote from one source. The second sentence is a fact that provides evidence to support the quote's position. The third and fourth introduce and allow a quote from a second source. The final sentence offers a new level of detail that helps build upon the quote.

So, you can break this graf up into four separate grafs, like this:

High school athletic director Hugh Baker, told the board, “If safety is the issue of concern for the board, then our girls teams would have forfeit games if there are boys on the opposing teams."

Last year alone the team would have had to forfeit 10 of the 18 games, therefore creating a losing record every year.

Many think its very unfair, including Jacob Stevens. Stevens, a senior at ELHS said, “I don’t think it is fair. There are countries in the world where men’s field hockey is a recognized sport. Not every guy wants to play football, basketball, or baseball."

Stevens was really looking forward to playing on the team his senior year.

Now, each unit of thought or supporting bit of evidence has its own graf. Now, it's easier for readers to identify each key point, in the same way an outline allows readers to visualize key points in a text-heavy draft. Now, it's easier for editors to identify key points, or the lack thereof. And that helps them edit quickly, which is critical when you're in a deadline business. Like journalism.

Squirrels: Paragraph Sizes

In journalism, we try to write in short paragraphs, with any single graf containing one main point OR one supporting idea OR one supporting quote.
That's intended to make sure that different points and details stand out, instead of being lost in a mega-paragraph. It also means many grafs will be only one or two sentences long.
Really, whether you have to start a new graf has nothing to do with size; rather, it's whether you have different types of information sets. So, I would say the following graf should be split up, even though it's pretty short ...
 

“There was a big squirrel’s nest in the corner where the light wires were,” Brookes said. The replacement of the wiring cost $184, Brookes said.

 ... because you have two information sets: the main point in the first sentence, and then the supporting quote in the second. So I would do this:

“There was a big squirrel’s nest in the corner where the light wires were,” Brookes said.

The replacement of the wiring cost $184, Brookes said.

... which I know looks weird. The grafs look too small, if we're going by what we learned in English comp. But also keep in mind that in writing for newspapers and magazines, you have very narrow column widths, so to a reader the two grafs would probably look more like this:

“There was a big squirrel’s

nest in the corner where

the light wires were,” 

Brookes said.

The replacement of the

wiring cost $184, Brookes

said.

... and now the grafs don't look so tiny, do they?
 
Let's look at this graf:

--> School dietician Linda Kasparov said she had a similar experience. Kasparov said she was driving home when the headlights, speedometer, and oil pressure gauge all quit working on her new car. Kasparov said she then pulled into a service station to find out what was wrong. She said the attendant was shocked when he opened the hood.  
 
... which, when it has its column width narrowed, looks like this:
 
School dietician Linda Kasparov
said she had a similar experience.
Kasparov said she was driving
home when the headlights,
speedometer, and oil pressure
gauge all quit working on her
new car. Kasparov said she
then pulled into a service station
to find out what was wrong. She
said the attendant was shocked 
when he opened the hood.
  
Kind of a big graf, right? Now, let's split it up:

School dietician Linda Kasparov
said she had a similar experience.

Kasparov said she was driving
home when the headlights,
speedometer, and oil pressure
gauge all quit working on her
new car.
 
Kasparov said she then pulled
into a service station to find
out what was wrong. She said
the attendant was shocked
when he opened the hood.
  

Now, key points stand out a bit more clearly. It's not a big jumble of text. And that's why we want to write in short grafs; to amplify key points and not let ideas get buried in a sea of words.

If in doubt, hit the "return" key. It wasn't your friend in English comp, but you all are pals now.

Controversial: Break Up Those Grafs!

In journalism, we generally try to write in very short paragraphs. What we try to do is limit a paragraph to one main idea OR one supporting idea OR one fact to support an idea. Not all of the above.

In general, that means many paragraphs will be just one or two sentences; the exact opposite of English composition writing styles that encourage massive paragraphs.

Let's look at this example of a mega-graf that can easily be cut up:

High school athletic director Hugh Baker told the board, “If safety is the issue of concern for the board, then our girls teams would have forfeit games if there are boys on the opposing teams." Last year alone the team would have had to forfeit 10 of the 18 games, therefore creating a losing record every year. Many think its very unfair, including Jacob Stevens. Stevens, a senior at ELHS said, “I don’t think it is fair. There are countries in the world where men’s field hockey is a recognized sport. Not every guy wants to play football, basketball, or baseball." Stevens was really looking forward to playing on the team his senior year.

Now, each unit of thought and each unit of supporting information has its own graf. It's easier for readers to pick out each independent thought or supporting fact. It's easier for editors to identify key points and supporting info, and find where such facts and info are lacking. Kind of like when you take lecture notes in an outline style; we want key points to stand out from the text.

Okay, this single graf contains several elements: the first sentence is a quote from one source. The second sentence is a fact that provides evidence to support the quote's position. The third and fourth introduce and allow a quote from a second source. The final sentence offers a new level of detail that helps build upon the quote.

So, you can break this graf up into four separate grafs, like this:

High school athletic director Hugh Baker, told the board, “If safety is the issue of concern for the board, then our girls teams would have forfeit games if there are boys on the opposing teams."

Last year alone the team would have had to forfeit 10 of the 18 games, therefore creating a losing record every year.

Many think its very unfair, including Jacob Stevens. Stevens, a senior at ELHS said, “I don’t think it is fair. There are countries in the world where men’s field hockey is a recognized sport. Not every guy wants to play football, basketball, or baseball."

Stevens was really looking forward to playing on the team his senior year.

Now, each unit of thought or supporting bit of evidence has its own graf. Now, it's easier for readers to identify each key point, in the same way an outline allows readers to visualize key points in a text-heavy draft. Now, it's easier for editors to identify key points, or the lack thereof. And that helps them edit quickly, which is critical when you're in a deadline business. Like journalism.

RFTM Chapter 3: Newswriting Style

What do newswriters do? Provide information in a clear and concise manner using simple language. Simple language is important because you are trying to reach an audience with widely varied capabilities and interests. To communicate effectively to a mass audience, you must present information in a way that will allow almost everyone to read and understand it.

(This is the exact opposite of what you've learned in English composition all these years, where teachers encourage you to use big and fancy words. For practical writing, this is an awful habit, as is much we're going to un-learn you from English comp this term. Use simple words and simple terms, please.)

Also, present factual information succinctly and in an impartial and objective manner. You must provide enough information so that the audience understands what happened, and keep your opinion out of stories.

(Again, a big diff between English comp and journalism is that in English comp, we write to express ourselves. In journalism, we write to share facts we've verified. Writing isn't about our self-expression; it's about informing an audience first and foremost.)

The pre-writing process. Ask yourself these questions: what is the story about? Why is it newsworthy? How is its central point unique? Failure to identify a central point risks a story that is incoherent and incomplete. Try to develop one central point thoroughly. A story with several apparent central points may be worth more than one story.

How do you find a central point? Report! What we write and how we write it isn't based on personal expression and opinion; it's based on what we discover in the reporting process, and what we determine is most interesting, relevant and useful to our audience.

The story outline. We start with the lede paragraph. That's the first paragraph of a story, which may contain the central point or a telling anecdote that sets up the central point. Often, the lede goes to end result and ultimate outcome; e.g., how the story ended and what is the latest information.

(Again, this is another big way journalism differs from English comp. In English comp, the ending is the ending. But in journalism, the ending is the lede: who won the football game, what the city council ended up doing, how many people died in the tornado outbreak, ect.)

Use simplifying words, sentences and paragraphs. Avoid long, unfamiliar words (e.g., instead of "homicide," say "murder. Instead of "vehicle," say "car" or "van" or "bus" or whatever. Instead of "inebriated vehicle operator," say "drunk driver.")

Use short sentences and paragraphs. The longer a sentence is, the more difficult it is to understand. You can shorten sentences by using the "normal word order" of subject, then verb, then direct object (e.g., instead of saying "The homework was eaten by the dog," say "The dog ate the homework.")

Write for the ear. Use sentences that do not sound awkward or inappropriate when spoken. (If you're not sure if a sentence flows well, read it out loud. Does it sound choppy or stilted or a hot mess? Then it probably reads the same way. Rewrite it as necessary until it's easy to say and hear out loud.)

Eliminate unnecessary words. Writers who use two words when one would suffice simply waste space. (Again, in English comp you are encouraged to be wordy; in journalism, we want to be efficient with our word use.) Eliminate multiple words that convey the same idea (e.g., "past history." History is the past. Eliminate one of those words.)

Remain objective. Reporters are neutral observers, not advocates or participants. Reporters provide facts and details, not opinion. (Again, journalism isn't about you expressing yourself; it's about informing the audience on what you discovered during the reporting process.)

Avoid stereotypical isms. Like, racism. (Only mention race when clearly relevant to a story, like a detailed suspect description.) Or, sexism. (Avoid occupational terms that exclude one sex or the other, like "fireman." Use "firefighter" instead.) Or ageism and word usage with the disabled, veterans and religious groups, and the poor. ("Old fogey, Bible-beater, bum," ect.)

Squirrels: Paragraph Sizes

In journalism, we try to write in short paragraphs, with any single graf containing one main point OR one supporting idea OR one supporting quote.

That's intended to make sure that different points and details stand out, instead of being lost in a mega-paragraph. It also means many grafs will be only one or two sentences long.

Really, whether you have to start a new graf has nothing to do with size; rather, it's whether you have different types of information sets. So, I would say the following graf should be split up, even though it's pretty short ...

 

“There was a big squirrel’s nest in the corner where the light wires were,” Brookes said. The replacement of the wiring cost $184, Brookes said.

 ... because you have two information sets: the main point in the first sentence, and then the supporting quote in the second. So I would do this:

“There was a big squirrel’s nest in the corner where the light wires were,” Brookes said.

The replacement of the wiring cost $184, Brookes said.

... which I know looks weird. The grafs look too small, if we're going by what we learned in English comp. But also keep in mind that in writing for newspapers and magazines, you have very narrow column widths, so to a reader the two grafs would probably look more like this:

“There was a big squirrel’s

nest in the corner where

the light wires were,” 

Brookes said.

The replacement of the

wiring cost $184, Brookes

said.

... and now the grafs don't look so tiny, do they?
 
Let's look at this graf:

--> School dietician Linda Kasparov said she had a similar experience. Kasparov said she was driving home when the headlights, speedometer, and oil pressure gauge all quit working on her new car. Kasparov said she then pulled into a service station to find out what was wrong. She said the attendant was shocked when he opened the hood. 

... which, when it has its column width narrowed, looks like this:

School dietician Linda
Kasparov said she had
a similar experience.
Kasparov said she was
driving home when the
headlights, speedometer,
and oil pressure gauge
all quit working on her
new car. Kasparov said
she then pulled into a
service station to find
out what was wrong. She
said the attendant was
shocked when he opened
the hood.  

Kind of a big graf, right? Now, let's split it up:


School dietician Linda
Kasparov said she had
a similar experience.


Kasparov said she was
driving home when the
headlights, speedometer,
and oil pressure gauge
all quit working on her
new car.

Kasparov said she then
pulled into a service
station to find out what
was wrong.

She said the attendant was
shocked when he opened
the hood.
  

Now, key points stand out a bit more clearly. It's not a big jumble of text. And that's why we want to write in short grafs; to amplify key points and not let ideas get buried in a sea of words.

If in doubt, hit the "return" key. It wasn't your friend in English comp, but you all are pals now.