Introducing Length-Based Literature
Prevalent Publishing is the home of Writing by Length, the book that launched length-based literature.
Most English writers have had to write a 5-paragraph essay, a fixed-length composition that Writing by Length claims is the original embodiment of length-based literature. The primary purpose of writing a 5-paragraph essay is to quickly capture an idea in a literary format that is easy to read and comprehend. Writing by Length extends this idea to establish a length-based paragraph design specifically crafted for writers working with limited online spaces and tight, immovable deadlines.
The length-based writing techniques promoted in Writing by Length will help writers reach more readers.
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The length of a standard paragraph is determined by searching the Internet for word count.
Research of online content reveals that the standard length of a page is 250 words, which is always greater than the length of one paragraph. Additional research divulges that a standard page contains two full paragraphs with a top and bottom buffer on each page consisting of multiple paragraph remnants. With each remnant composed of 20 words, or 40 words total, the length of a standard paragraph can be calculated from the 210 words remaining.
From Internet searches, the length of a standard paragraph is determined to be 105 words.
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The design of a paragraph has been the domain of elementary school teachers for decades.
Young writers are taught to use topic sentences, support sentences, and conclusion sentences when they write paragraphs, and young readers learn to expect that design. Teachers explain that any deviation from the standard approach might excite some resolute readers, but improvisation will likely lead to confusion for normal, everyday readers. Writers discover their literary voices when they grow up, but readers don’t change how they read, a fact most publishers take to heart and pocketbook.
In selling literature, successful paragraph designs are those that meet the expectations of the readers; exceeding their expectations calls for a more dynamic composition, the design of a compound paragraph where two independent paragraphs are connected by a compound sentence.
More specifically, the independent clause before the semicolon of the connecting compound sentence is the conclusion sentence of the opening paragraph, and the independent clause after the semicolon of the connecting compound sentence is the topic sentence of the closing paragraph. With the compound sentence located between two paragraphs, the natural operation of the semicolon provides an unexpected change of direction for readers and writers.
The design of a compound paragraph will liberate writers to quickly produce stylishly long paragraphs.