23. Independent Paragraphs

We have thought of the paragraph as a group of sentences that refer to one topic, or to one division of the subject. It often happens that a short composition on a limited subject forms a single paragraph. Practice with several independent paragraphs will aid us in managing the paragraphs in longer themes, and it should correct once for all the prevailing tendency among young writers to indent every second or third sentence.

24. Length Of The Paragraph

A paragraph of a hundred words is short; one of two hundred and fifty words is not very long. If you discover more than two paragraphs on a page of your manuscript, ask yourself whether you can give a good reason for the division.

25. Unity

It is not enough that all the sentences in the paragraph shall refer to a single topic; they must also present a central thought. For example, the topic of the following paragraph is the voyage from America to Europe. The sentences composing the paragraph might all have a bearing on that topic, and yet the paragraph might by no means be a unit. One sentence might speak of the storms, another of the boat, another of the passengers, another of the crew, etc., with a most confusing result. But Living's paragraph presents one view of the subject. We are told that the inactivity of the voyage is an excellent preparation for the bustle of another world, and each sentence contributes something toward this main thought.

To an American visiting Europe, the long voyage he has to make is an excellent preparative. The temporary absence of worldly scenes and employments produces a state of mind peculiarly fitted to receive new and vivid impressions. The vast space of waters that separates the hemispheres is like a blank page in existence. There is no gradual transition, by which, as in Europe, the features and population of one country blend almost imperceptibly with those of another. From the moment you lose sight of the land you have left, all is vacancy until you step on the opposite shore, and are launched at once into the bustle and novelties of another world.

- Irving, "The Voyage," in "The Sketch-Book."