Weak kneed, I falter at the button to publish my prologue as a blog post. As I re-read words I can almost utter from memory, I look for all the possible glitches, errors, mistakes. I want my writing, my story to flow unimpeded to the reader. I don't want someone to feel the most important thing they can share with me is that I forgot the 't' at the end of 'that' on the third line in the second paragraph.
This weak need for perfection is a heavy handicap. But it got me thinking as I reviewed my precious prologue: how important are paragraph choices?
Paragraph placement isn't much theorized. And yet, it's a pretty important editing choice. I just made a few paragraph changes that improved tempo and tension (TnT). I could feel the prologue tighten as if compressed by a corset. It's a nuance that's hard to describe or instruct, but where you hit enter is as important as why. Think of it as writer-ly inflection, the pondering of paragraph proportion. Should the paragraph be voluptuous or twiggy?
Never fear, my supportive peeps. I'm posting the prologue tomorrow, but I had to share this thought. Now I will sleep on my prologue one more night before plunging forth.
Cheers,
Ellen
