Welcome to Grammar Goods!

Grammar, usage, and mechanics advice for writers of all ages and abilities.

[grammargoods]

Reminder!

The ask box is open for general questions as well as specifics! If you want to know comma rules, let me know. If you want to know if you need commas in a specific sentence, send me your sentence. Someone else may probably does have a similar question.

If you’d rather I answer privately, indicate it in your message and it won’t be a problem. Whatever makes you most comfortable!

[grammargoods]

On paragraph spacing

I was recently asked for advice about knowing when to start a new paragraph, so I thought I would compile all my knowledge on the subject into a post.

You should always start a new paragraph when

A new speaker is introduced

A new idea is introduced

The “camera” or focus shifts

Your reader needs a break or you want a longer pause than a comma, semicolon, or an em dash will grant you.

A lot of times, English teachers will tell their students that they need to have four to five (or more!) sentences per paragraph, and that’s a good general rule to have when you’re writing scholarly essays. However in prose, there are no rules for paragraph length! Make them as long or as short as you want (although, it’s a good rule of thumb to not make them super long because they get hard to read).

Really, when you break it down to its most essential, good writing is about varying the length of your sentences and paragraphs. It adds to the cadence of your writing and switches things up for your readers. You wouldn’t want an entire story of five-word sentences. Likewise, you wouldn’t want an entire story of one-sentence paragraphs.

Paragraph breaks should feel natural. If the topic changes, the paragraph should probably break. Generally, you should try to transition from one topic to the next using the last sentence of the previous paragraph, but this isn’t always necessary. It just depends on the context of your writing and subjects and what kind of voice you want your writing to have.

One last thing (this is by no means a grammar rule; it’s personal preference, and what I was taught while getting my undergraduate degree, so I believe it’s what most publishers are looking for): I don’t like to have dialogue at the end of a long paragraph. So if I’ve written a long expository paragraph delving into the character’s thoughts and then I want that character to say something, I’ll start a new paragraph and use a dialogue tag to make it clear to the reader who is speaking.

Beta readers should always be on the lookout for paragraph spacing. If something feels off, mark it and have a discussion with your author. If something feels off to you as the author, mark it and have your beta look at it. That’s what the partnership is there for!

[grammargoods]

Welcome to Grammar Goods!

I started this blog because I love writing and grammar, and I love coaching writers to be their best.

My name is Meggie, and I’m a fourth year English teacher. I’ve always loved English, grammar, and reading, and it’s the one thing that I feel really comfortable with. I have a bachelor’s degree in professional writing and a master’s in education, so combining my two loves was an obvious career choice. Over 80% of my students passed their state tests last year, which is almost unheard of. I am a proud mama, and I get results because I have high standards.

I’ve been writing stories since before I could even physically write! I used to record stories into a tape recorder when I was younger, then I started writing when I learned how to make letters.

Primarily, I thought this blog would serve as a way to help the fanfiction community, but all authors are welcome! I have a soft spot in my heart for fanfiction; I started writing fic when I was eight (that’s 22 years ago!), and it’s the main reason that I grew to love writing so much. Over the years, there have been countless fandoms, but I always fell in love with the characters and world and wanted to bring my own stories to life in those universes.

I love teaching grammar to my kiddos, but I also want to provide assistance to anyone who needs it. If you have a question about structure, spelling, commas, quotation marks, or just want to know the correct use of affect vs. effect and the Internet isn’t helping, come ask me!

Please don’t be shy, especially if English isn’t your first language. I have so much respect for those of you who choose to write in a language that is not your native one. English is difficult to learn, but I think I’m pretty good at making it a little easier.

Overall, I want to help make better writers. That’s, I think, really what I’m here for. Let’s get started.

--Meggie