Paragraphs: Like Scenes in a Film

A sentence is a thought, complete, neat. I can do that in nothing flat. But a paragraph, good golly, should I even try one? It would be pure folly. Not true, my dear, not true. That attitude won't do. No, really, I can't paragraph. I'm afraid I don't know how. It's easy, my dear. In fact, we're doing it now. Paragraphing? Sure. It's paragraph when you speak, it's another when I do it. Show a change or a new idea, that's all there is to it. You mean each new paragraph shows a change in point of view? Or a change in mood or place or action, that's exactly what they do. Is that right? My dear, why are you laughing? Because, good golly, I'm paragraphing. I think she's got it. I'm a filmmaker. So, in talking about writing paragraphs, I'm going to use the tools of my trade because I think that writing and filmmaking are two ways of doing the same thing. Here, the camera and the sound recorder become our pens and typewriters. We use them to communicate to others what we want them to know. Isn't that also what we do in writing? Stay sharp now, and join me in a visual experiment. A composition may have one or any number of paragraphs. Each paragraph should contain one main idea. Generally, a paragraph consists of the main topic sentence, followed by supporting sentences, and ending with a concluding sentence. This buzzing is getting very distracting. All right. Everybody off. Let's shoot the scene. Do you know your place in the script? Yes, I am to do the third paragraph. You mean the third scene. Yes. All right. Roll the sound. Rolling. Camera. Mark it. Take one, paragraph three. I mean scene three. When that scene has been shot and the film developed, it'll go on the rack with dozens of other scenes. They're like the paragraphs that make up a composition. In the cutting room, a film editor will cut each scene to the desired length, then splice it to the next scene. The effect when viewed is called a direct cut because watch, you see the first scene, then we pass the splice, the film cuts directly to the next scene. Films are planned that way. Look at this script for a film. Do you see how the writer has divided the script into scenes or main ideas? Compare it to this composition. Do you see similar divisions in the composition? Are not the paragraphs simply another way of dividing the presentation into main ideas? Editor, direct cut to me, please. Thank you. I finished showing you the papers, then I wanted to go on to another idea. So, I cut to this scene of me speaking. If you were writing this and wanted to go from one scene uh or pardon me, one paragraph to another, what is the first thing you would do? You would begin a new line with an indentation. You would indent. You see, each indentation is a signal that we are cutting to another idea. Indent. Now that we know what filmmakers mean by a cut, let's stop using that word. Instead, let's just say indent. If you agree we can do that, then we'll just go on. End of paragraph. Indent. In a nearby room, a camera mounted on an animation stand brings cartoon characters to life. The artwork is placed on the table. No, wait. Instead of going on, let me ask you this. When I said indent, did you know we were coming here? No. Indent told you we were going on to the next idea, but that's all. You didn't know the next paragraph would bring us to the animation area until I showed you. But what if I couldn't show you with this picture? What if this scene were blank? Then how would you know what the next paragraph is to be about? In a nearby room, a camera mounted on the animation stand brings cartoon characters to life. Without pictures, how did you know that the topic of this paragraph would be the animation stand? Simple. I told you. You heard me introduce the scene with a sentence that told you what the topic would be. It works the same way in writing. When you go to a new paragraph, use a topic sentence to let the reader know what the next main idea is about. In modern writing, a topic sentence is not always necessary. But while learning paragraphs, let's stick with one plan for a while. Generally, a paragraph consists of a topic sentence that establishes the main idea, supporting sentences that elaborate on the main topic and a concluding sentence. The key to writing paragraphs is the topic sentence. To demonstrate, I'm going to show you three scenes or three paragraphs without topic sentences. We will use nothing but supporting sentences. Each time we indent for a new paragraph, you'll hear this little chime. Ready? Three paragraphs without topic sentences. It consisted of a circular stone bench supported by columns of brick surrounded by bare concrete walls. There, in the cool silence, I waited. My hair was grayer now and I had lost weight. Quite possibly, even those who had known me well would no longer recognize me. I knew it might be imagination and that I was leaping to conclusions, but I was anxious nonetheless. Did you sense that something was missing? I felt the need to know where he was, what he was doing there. What did his hair turning gray have to do with anything? What is it that he thought might only be his imagination? With supporting sentences only, we're disoriented. Let's do those three paragraphs again, but this time we'll introduce each with a topic sentence and see what happens. Week after week, I remained alone in the bomb shelter. It consisted of a circular stone bench supported by columns of brick surrounded by bare concrete walls. There, in the cool silence, I waited. The long period underground had played havoc with my appearance. My hair was grayer now and I had lost weight. Quite possibly, those who had known me well would no longer recognize me. I I there because of a dream, which I interpreted as foretelling the destruction of the world above. I knew it might be imagination, and that I was leaping to conclusions, but I was anxious nonetheless. I wish we could go on. I was just getting into the story. Notice something interesting. The supporting sentences alone didn't carry the story, but the three topic sentences alone did tell all the main points of the story thus far. For weeks he'd been in a bomb shelter. It had changed his appearance, and he'd isolated himself there because of a dream. Those were the main points the writer wanted to make. In fact, the topic sentence is so important that it controls the entire meaning of the paragraphs. Let me show you. We'll use the same supporting sentences as we used before, but this time we'll use different topic sentences. I entered the underground passageway between university buildings where I had agreed to meet Janet in the first lounge area. It consisted of a circular stone bench supported by columns of brick surrounded by bare concrete walls. There in the cool silence, I waited. Janet was to introduce me at the English forum, where the audience would include faculty members under whom I had once studied. My hair was grayer now, and I had lost weight. Quite possibly even those who had known me well would no longer recognize me. After waiting impatiently for 15 minutes, I was convinced she had forgotten all about me. I knew it might be imagination, and that I was leaping to conclusions, but I was anxious nonetheless. What a change. Amazing how important the topic sentence is to a paragraph. Topic sentences can be dull or they can be lively and attention-getting. Here's a dull one. Margie Davis was a good basketball player. What kind of a picture does that give us? Margie Davis was a good basketball player. It's a topic sentence, but it's passive and general. Here's the same point stated with more verb. As a basketball player, Margie Davis had the dazzling moves that left her opponent standing flat-footed waving their arms in the air. It tells the same thing, but what a different picture it gives us. After that, I'd like to know more about Margie's prowess. Once we've introduced the main point, how can we create more sentences to support it? Well, we could make comparisons. Compare Margie to another great player. We could use examples. Tell them outstanding plays she made that won a particular game. We could support the topic sentence with details about her dribbling, passing, or shooting skills. With supporting sentences, you can develop the paragraph any way you choose, just so they all relate to the main topic. Concluding sentence. Seems obvious. It's the last sentence in the paragraph. Is it important? You decide. Auditions are nerve-racking. You stand on stage alone reading unfamiliar lines and have only minutes to prove you're an actress. That's all I have to say on the subject. What? That's all I have to say on the subject. Then why did you begin? I'd be more impressed if you clinched that paragraph with a concluding statement. Auditions are nerve-racking. You stand on stage alone reading unfamiliar lines and have only minutes to prove you're an actress. I hate auditions. Except when I get the part. Uh especially when you're doing only one paragraph, a clinching or summing up sentence can bring it to a satisfying close. Sometimes in longer pieces, we don't want every paragraph to come to a strong ending. I'll demonstrate. I'm going to show you two film scenes. When we cut from the first one to the second one, you may feel that there's something missing. See if you can detect it. The morning was sunny and cool, perfect for a hike in the country. Breathing the crisp air, I felt as if I could walk 20 miles. Where do I put my socks? Did those two scenes or paragraphs go together? No, they didn't seem to, did they? Yet, that was the way the writer intended them. See, he has one paragraph for the youth hiking, the next paragraph about the bedroom. Oh, wait a minute. We left out a line of his narration. He actually ended the first paragraph with a line that led to the next one. Let's see if putting that closing sentence in the first paragraph helps. The morning was sunny and cool, perfect for a hike in the country. Breathing the crisp air, I felt as if I could walk 20 miles. That was surprising when I remembered the trouble I had had getting out of bed just 1 hour ago. I wonder where I put my socks. Did you hear how that concluding statement in the first scene prepared us for the next one? In adventure stories, you'll often find that type of concluding sentence. It keeps us reading on from one paragraph to the next. I have a small confession to make. In films, sometimes we cut or change scenes before we're finished with one idea. We do it so that one scene doesn't run on for so long we get tired of looking at it. Writers often do the same thing. A paragraph that goes on and on for a page or more looks unappealing. So, even if a writer is dealing with only one main idea, he or she will often subdivide it into paragraphs to attract readers. You should be aware of that, but until you become expert, concentrate on the five points we've stressed. Like a film scene, each paragraph contains one main idea. We indent to show we are cutting from one scene or idea to the next. A topic sentence expresses the main idea in a paragraph. Supporting sentences add details. And the concluding sentence clinches the main idea or leads us into the next paragraph. I think you got it.