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Business Writing Essentials: Types, Principles and Effective Skills

Business writing is a skill that many professionals use on a daily basis. When it’s done right, business writing can be an invaluable tool for building your team, communicating with the public, generating sales leads and growing your existing customer base.

Some businesses don’t take the time to invest in good business writing skills, because they believe that their people are too busy, or that business writing isn’t required in their industry.

In this article I’ll explain why good business writing is not only essential but taking the time to master it is an excellent investment in your company.

This article will start by defining what business writing is (because there are some misconceptions out there), then discuss the four types of business writing, describe the four principles of good business writing, list some effective writing skills and highlight some common mistakes in business writing.

What is business writing and why does it matter?

Business writing is any form of written communication you send to an external or internal audience that relates to business. It includes: emails, memos, proposals, reports, blog posts, social media, quotes, invoices and more.

When it’s done well, business writing can be a powerful way for a business to express itself and relay information in a compelling manner. But when it’s done poorly, it can reduce efficiency, negatively impact the company’s reputation and even reduce sales.

Think of business writing as a form of marketing, not for any specific product or service but for the company itself. Whenever a business creates a good marketing campaign, a lot of thought goes into defining the sense of “brand” to be portrayed – is the company fun and trendy (appropriate to a clothing line) or is it knowledgeable and trustworthy (like a financial advisor)?

The marketing campaign will likely be focused on a specific product or service, but around it will be the brand of the company – the feel of the business.

What some business people forget, though, is that every communication needs to reflect this brand – not just the marketing. When a business issues its annual report, that report’s tone should match the corporate brand created in the marketing.

When a business has to issue a public statement, the writing should reflect that brand. Even internal documents like memos and, yes, email, should always try to be “on brand” – because you never know who might read it.

Okay, you might be saying right now, even emails have to be on brand? I would argue yes, for two reasons. First, emails can always be forwarded to clients or the media – anything said in them will potentially be read by outsiders.

Second, by training your team to apply good business writing principles to their everyday communications, they’ll be well-practiced for when they have to write “important” documents like proposals or reports. Getting folks into good business writing habits in their daily work strengthens your corporate communication level overall.

Good business writing at all levels sets the tone for your company. If you invest the time into training your team on how to create effective business documents, both internal and external customers will have greater trust in what you say.

They’ll recognize (perhaps subconsciously) the consistency of your company’s writing and this will build their comfort level with your business.

Good business writing gets its point across efficiently and effectively, and this will further solidify your corporate reputation as readers see how invested you are in making sure your message is clear.

On the other hand, simple things like bad grammar, poor sentence structure, inappropriate language (not necessarily offensive language but simply language that doesn’t match your company’s brand) will degrade the public’s trust in your business.

If this company can’t even take the time to write well, your potential customers may conclude, how can I trust them to deliver what they promise?

The four types of business writing

Even though business writing can appear in many formats, from annual general reports to emails, there are only four basic types of business writing, defined by the purpose behind them. The four types of business writing are:

Instructional

This is writing intended to teach something specific. Most commonly seen in help guides, technical manuals and textbooks, it has a reputation for being dry. But instructional business writing doesn’t have to be boring.

It can be fun, engaging and a pleasure to read – so long as it is clear. Bad instructional writing is most often considered dry and boring because it isn’t written in a way that’s easy to follow.

Good instructional writing, though, can be very specific and very detailed, but if it’s written in an engaging style, with the clear and logical building of steps, it can be a pleasure to read and – most importantly – make it easy for the reader to learn what you need them to learn.

Informational

This type of business writing is similar to Instructional in that its purpose is to teach the reader something. But Informational writing tends to be on broader subjects with a more general focus.

Whereas Instructional writing might focus on how to conduct basic checks of your hybrid car’s engine, Informational writing will talk about, say, the industry’s overall shift toward hybrid cars in general and why this is important.

Informational writing is important if your business exists in a complex industry. You’ll need to inform your reader of certain facts and trends in order to build the case for why your business is important and why potential clients should consider your products or services.

Persuasive

Persuasive business writing takes the concept of Informational business writing and goes one step further. Persuasive writing doesn’t just present information: it presents a hypothesis, or an argument, or a position, and then works to convince the reader to agree.

Persuasive writing is taking sides and building a case to convince others to join that side. It doesn’t have to be confrontational – and is often best when it isn’t – but it does have to get off the fence and clearly state which side of the debate it’s on.

Sometimes persuasive writing will grapple with big topics, such as the future of the car industry as it wrestles with gasoline versus electric cars. But often persuasive business writing is much more focused – explaining why a potential customer should choose your business instead of your competitor.

Transactional

This sort of business writing is very common and it includes most of the day-to-day writing a business will undertake. It’s usually very short and to the point, providing information and often requesting information in return. Examples include internal emails, invoices and the general exchange of information between team members or departments.

It’s in transactional business writing that the most care needs to be taken, however, because it’s too easy to forget the principles of effective business writing and cut corners.

Whereas Instructional, Informative and Persuasive business writing projects will likely be recognized as such and therefore will have thought and preparation put into them, Transactional business writing is the thing we do every day and we might not remember to apply good principles.

This might seem like unnecessary extra work – until a major client receives an email with spelling mistakes, bad grammar or a casual comment (perhaps meant as a joke) that doesn’t fit with your corporate brand. Precisely because Transactional business writing takes up so much of our writing time, it’s important to take the time and write it well.

Principles of effective business writing

When it comes to any type of business writing, there are four key principles that always apply.

– Keep it brief. The shorter your business document is, the more likely people will actually read all of what you’ve written.

– Focus on your audience. Speak in their language and approach the topic from their perspective. If your writing doesn’t quickly resonate with your audience, they’ll lose interest and move on to their next priority.

– Organize your thoughts first. Any document, no matter how short, is trying to communicate something important. Before you write it, take a moment to create a logical flow of ideas and ensure that they move clearly from one to the next. Confusing your readers is the surest way to fail in communication.

– Use the active voice verb tense. An example of this is “I went to the beach” whereas the passive would be “I was taken to the beach” – it’s a subtlety that may not seem like much, but it makes a big difference in business writing. Active voice uses less words, it’s more clear, and it gives the sense that the writer is in control.

Skills for effective business writing

If you want to be an effective business writer, there are some basic skills that you should master. They include:

Authenticity

Some areas of business – particularly sales and marketing – have a bad reputation with the general public making the truth… malleable. This may not be true for your business, but recognize that the perception is out there, making authenticity that much higher a priority in your business writing.

In business, trust is a valuable asset, and trust is built through consistent honesty and reliability. When you’re writing about or on behalf of your business, always be honest with your audience. With Instructional writing, this means giving an accurate description of what you’re teaching.

In Informational and Persuasive, it means acknowledging uncomfortable or inconvenient facts and then addressing them. In Transactional business writing, it means conveying the full story and not hiding anything or covering things up.

Precision

Everyone is busy, and when reading a business document no-one wants to have their time wasted. When you write a business document, be very clear at the start what you’re going to be talking about – and then stay on that topic throughout.

Many situations are complex, but you shouldn’t try and address every aspect of a situation in a single document – choose your topic and examine it with precision and clarity.

You may need to refer to other topics in order to provide context, but either summarize those other topics and how they relate to yours, or provide links to other documents where your reader can go if they so desire.

Conciseness

Don’t take a paragraph to say what can be expressed in a single sentence.

10 tips for improving your skills in each type of business writing

Create a summary of the document – this might be included at the start of the final document, or it might just be a useful guide for you as the writer
Use short sentences that are easy to read
Avoid using difficult words or complex phrases
Use headings and subheadings to help guide your reader
Avoid long blocks of uninterrupted text – extra subheadings can break up those acres of text into smaller, more manageable chunks
Write in the active voice rather than passive
Keep your writing simple, direct and on-topic
Keep your tone consistent throughout – if the document is fun and friendly, don’t suddenly turn serious and somber, or vice versa
Consider using visuals if appropriate – bulleted lists, graphs, tables and even photos can effectively convey information or create the right feeling
Proofread, proofread, proofread. Even minor mistakes can reflect poorly on your professional image and reputation

10 common mistakes to avoid when you’re drafting a business document

Not providing a summary of the document
Missing out key details – often because they’re inconvenient or poorly understood
Getting too wordy and not getting to the point quickly enough
Not using bullet points or numbering for lists
Sending an early version of your work before it’s ready for circulation
Ignoring (or misunderstanding) punctuation rules
Being unclear about what the document is about
Repeating sentences in order to stress a point
Poor sentence structure
Not providing a conclusion, either as a summary or a call to action

Best wishes!

If you enjoyed this article and are in the process of writing a nonfiction book, be sure to check out my free nonfiction success guide, drawn from years of experience editing books for bestselling authors (including a New York Times bestseller) and ghostwriting for CEOs and politicians. Simply click here to get instant access.

Ben

Leave me a comment below if you have any questions or a specific need that I can help you address – I operate an author services firm that specializes in helping entrepreneurs, professionals and business owners who want to publish books as a calling card for prospects, to establish their status as an expert or to generate additional leads for their businesses.

Here are some related posts I highly recommend:

The 7 Most Effective Book Promotion Ideas For Nonfiction Authors

How to Find The Best Book Marketing Services For Nonfiction

How to Promote Your Nonfiction Book to Rank High on Amazon

Bennett R. Coles is an award-winning author of six books published through Harper Collins (New York) and Titan Publishing Group (London). He is also the publisher at Promontory Press, editor for multiple bestselling authors (including a NY Times bestseller), ghostwriter for CEOs and politicians and the founder of Cascadia Author Services, a boutique full-service firm that specializes in premium author services specifically designed for busy professionals. Our end-to-end services include writer coaching, ghostwriting, editing, proofing, cover design, book layout, eBook production, marketing, printing and distribution.

Dialogue Writing: Strategies to Keep it Tight and Avoid Unnecessary Words

by Bennett R. Coles Leave a Comment

Dialogue writing is an art. In this blog post I’ll discuss the basics of dialogue, how to keep it tight, how to communicate by what the characters don’t say, how to reveal a wealth of information with a few spoken lines, and more.

What is dialogue writing?

Dialogue writing is the expression of speech between two or more characters in a book. The dialogue is written in regular prose and occurs within the text, although it’s clearly defined by quotation marks and usually separated from the general narrative by its own paragraphs.

Dialogue is a powerful tool that can help readers understand the story better. In our real lives we gain insights into the minds of others by listening to their spoken words, and in the same way we can learn more about fictional characters by what they choose to reveal (or not) in their speech.

Basics of Dialogue

In English, dialogue is very easy to spot on the page because it’s always contained within quotation marks. Additionally, every time a new person starts talking, a new paragraph begins.

As a writer you have the choice of whether to start the paragraph with the dialogue itself or with any accompanying narrative attached to the dialogue, but as a general rule the dialogue should come first.

Here’s an example of how to present dialogue:

“I’ve got that report, John,” Sally said as she entered the office. “You might want to look at it right away.”

“Is it bad news?” John asked.

Sally hesitated, then handed him the folder. “I think you better just look.”

“Thanks.” He opened the folder and flicked through the papers.

You can see how each line of dialogue gets its own paragraph, with quotation marks clearly separating the spoken words from the narrative description of the action.

In three of the four instances the dialogue comes first in the paragraph, but in paragraph three the narrative comes first: Sally’s action logically must precede her words, but the two are closely linked. This third paragraph could have been split into two, like this:

Sally hesitated, then handed him the folder.

“I think you better just look.”

But doing so brings extra focus on her words. If they’re a pivotal moment in the scene, separate them out. But if they’re just a companion statement to her action, keep them together.

Using dialogue to “show, don’t tell”

We’re taught the rule of “show, don’t tell” when creating fiction, and dialogue is one of the major tools used to accomplish this. Instead of writing a full narrative that describes the emotions of a character, a quick snippet of dialogue can convey meaning while still leaving enough unsaid to create suspense or add intrigue.

For example, if your character is upset, you could simply write it this way:

John was upset by what he saw.

This gets the point across efficiently, but it doesn’t draw the reader into the drama. Consider this example:

John slammed the report down on his desk.

“I can’t believe it!”

Now we have both a dramatic action to illustrate John’s feelings, and a line of dialogue to strike the point home.

How to identify unnecessary words in your dialogue

Dialogue should sound like natural speech. In fact, it’s not a bad idea, when you’re reviewing a scene you’ve written, to do exactly that – if you have trouble saying your dialogue in a natural way, it probably needs work.

A common error in dialogue writing is having too many words. Excess words will make dialogue sound contrived, and even dull, and it can make it difficult to understand. Sometimes a character might speak in a convoluted way because of who they are (or what they’re trying to accomplish) but it’s hard for a reader to follow a long stream of wordy dialogue.

If your character is specifically trying to obfuscate, consider just presenting the first sentence and then switching to narrative, like this:

“Well, we need to consider the implications of the recent paradigm shift in the strategic vision of the corporate leadership and how that affects not only our day-to-day operations but the multiple knock-on effects of our various subsidiaries…”

Sally knew she was blathering, but she had to buy time for Hong to get here and show John what they’d discovered. So she reached way back to her MBA days and kept on spewing corporate buzzwords.

In real speech we do tend to go off-topic, switch ideas mid-sentence and talk too long. But in fiction, the speech needs to be tight. Every line of dialogue serves a purpose – be it to reveal or set up critical information, to develop character or to advance the plot.

It shouldn’t include anything that isn’t important to the story. Good dialogue will propel a scene forward, but bad dialogue will actually slow it down. The key is to ensure that everything your characters say moves the scene forward in some way.

Tips for keeping your dialogues tight and engaging

Dialogue is one of your best tools as an author, but it has to be sharp. Here are 5 tips that can help you keep your dialogue tight and engaging:

1- Keep speeches short; a few sentences max.

2- Encourage a lot of back and forth chatter between characters – this makes the dialogue more dynamic.

3- Don’t cover subjects that are unnecessary for what’s happening in the scene (For example, a character should talk about what they’re going to do, not what they’re not going to do.)

4- If three or more people are speaking in a scene, be very clear about who the speaker is each time.

5- Remember that every line of dialogue serves a purpose to the story (info, character, plot). If it doesn’t, remove it.

Tips for integrating dialogue into the narrative

Dialogue is a great tool, but it works best when supported by an equally snappy narrative. Sometimes it’s okay to reduce part of a scene to nothing but dialogue – but only if the speech itself is the dramatic focus of the scene. Otherwise, use this technique sparingly.

Most of the time, dialogue and narrative work together in a dynamic dance of voice and description that draws the reader into the scene. Here are 5 tips to integrate dialogue effectively into your scenes:

1- Don’t go more than two or three paragraphs of dialogue without inserting some narrative.

2- If narrative and dialogue are going to be paired in the same paragraph, keep the narrative to a single sentence.

3- If you need a longer narrative section inside a dialogue scene, don’t go more than two narrative paragraphs without inserting some dialogue.

4- Reveal character dynamics and emotions through subtle cues in the narrative that accompanies the dialogue: small movements, facial expressions, body language, etc.

5- Avoid writing a character’s inner monologues or thoughts wherever possible. Let them say the words out loud to another character, or interchange their thoughts with spoken dialogue.

Examples of how to keep it short and sweet

The following very short passage shows some of the ways in which dialogue can be used when describing emotions and character dynamics without overdoing it or using too many words.

“Okay, enough,” John sighed, raising his hand to silence Sally’s endless speech.

“Sorry.”

“We’ve known each other too long for that garbage…” He looked up, sudden realization in his eyes. “Why are you stalling me?”

Sally suppressed a smile. There was no fooling him.

“Hong’s on her way.”

There aren’t many words spoken in this exchange, but a lot of information is presented.

First, note that John keeps his cool, giving insight into his character.

Second, neither John nor Sally feel the need to overtly state how they’re feeling. Part of this is just efficient writing that lets the reader fill in the blanks, but it could also suggest a deep understanding between them that comes from a long relationship.

Third, the suggestion of their long relationship is confirmed with John’s next statement.

Fourth, his realization and her reaction suggests that they’re both sharp and intelligent people.

Fifth, the declaration of Hong’s imminent arrival builds tension and moves the story forward.

Why you should avoid using adverbs when writing dialogue

When we were in school we were taught about adverbs, and how they can add color to our writing. This is true, and adverbs have their place in English, but they should be used sparingly in dialogue.

As we see and hear our characters in our minds, we can be tempted to add adverbs to try and bring out the emotions and actions around the words. But good dialogue doesn’t need this augmentation, and adverbs mostly slow down the action.

Here’s an example:

“Look,” John said, “just give me the straight goods.”

This is effective on its own. The word “look” is already sharp, and the efficiency of the sentence matches the efficiency of his intent.

But there are plenty of adverbs that we might be tempted to employ as additional emphasis, such as:

“Look,” John said angrily…

“Look,” John said quickly…

“Look,” John said quietly…

“Look,” John said resignedly…

“Look,” John said finally…

Every one of these usages is grammatically correct, and adds nuance to the sentence. But are any of them necessary? If your scene is written well, whichever one of these adverbs is accurate will have already been implied by the context around it.

Adding adverbs like this can be effective occasionally – but it’s the rarity of their usage that makes them effective. 90% of the time adverbs aren’t necessary to get across what you’re trying to convey. Only use them in dialogue if they’re a surprise – that is, if the character reacts against what the reader was expecting – or to hammer home a particularly important moment.

Best wishes!

Ben

Here are some related posts I highly recommend:

The 7 Most Effective Book Promotion Ideas For Nonfiction Authors

How to Find The Best Book Marketing Services For Nonfiction

How to Promote Your Nonfiction Book to Rank High on Amazon

Creative Nonfiction: What It Is, Why You Should Use It And How

by Bennett R. Coles Leave a Comment

Creative nonfiction is a genre of writing that combines the formality and factual basis of traditional journalism with the more subjective creativity of storytelling. This blog post will discuss what it means to write in this genre, why it matters and how you should approach it.

What is creative nonfiction?

The genre of creative nonfiction is one of the most interesting kinds of nonfiction, and a popular way to present fact-based literature. Particularly effective in historical writing, biographies and world affairs, it can often read like a novel despite being based firmly in real-world truths. It blends the factual reporting typical of journalism with more creative approaches to connect ideas, develop themes and weave a broad tapestry of narrative. Creative nonfiction can make connections between isolated facts that are real, but difficult to see when each element is viewed independently.

Creative nonfiction is often written without a strict chronological order, which allows it to be flexible and free-flowing while still grounded in truthful events. It may contain subjective commentary that can color those events, often by pulling in archival reporting or dialogue from the time, as well as first person narratives by witnesses as they recount past events. Using these sources naturally lends itself to interpretation and sometimes bias, but a good creative nonfiction will balance personal accounts to provide a full picture of events.

Why is creative nonfiction important?

Creative nonfiction is a valuable tool to educate and build new understanding. Unlike old-fashioned history books that provided dry, date-filled accounts of events from a high level point of view, creative nonfiction works to bring the reader into the events, giving glimpses of what really happened from very personal perspectives. Whereas old-fashioned history books set out merely to inform, creative nonfiction wants to enlighten.

As a nonfiction writer, it’s important to be able to employ an array of tools and techniques in order to create a compelling piece. Facts are essential, as is the proper presentation of interviews (no mis-quoting!). But from this framework of truth certain ideas will emerge, and the writer can choose what to highlight in order to bring those ideas to life. Creative nonfiction allows the writer more freedom to emphasize certain themes or viewpoints within their work while still being grounded in reality.

What are the 6 characteristics of creative nonfiction?

Creative nonfiction tends to focus on real-life events and people. Sometimes it can be categorized as journalistic because it contains well-cited research from primary sources or interviews with witnesses. But whereas traditional journalism usually steers clear from offering personal opinion within a piece, creative nonfiction gives the author freedom to provide commentary and insights about the facts.

Another characteristic of creative nonfiction is its use of dialog passages or first person narratives recounting events – this could be anything from public speeches, private conversations, journal entries, letters, old interviews and so on.

What are the key elements of creative nonfiction?

There are 6 elements to creative nonfiction:

Everything is based on facts
Direct use of primary references and witness accounts
Many scenes are told in a fiction-style narrative
A sense of progression, even of story, in the narrative
A commonality of theme that is introduced early, built upon and brought to conclusion
Thoughtful commentary from the author to tie everything together

Dialog in creative nonfiction

Scenes in creative nonfiction often include dialog. Many times these are direct transcripts from official or public records, and even though they may be edited for style (the removal of words like “umm,” etc.) and sometimes edited for content (to remove side topics that were discussed at the time but that are irrelevant to the theme of the book) they will be true to the meaning of the original.

When no such transcripts exist, dialogs can sometimes be re-imagined based on reliable witness accounts. In this case the exact wording of the dialog will be the invention of the author, but the meaning behind it will be true to the facts. In cases like this, it’s best, as the author, to make it clear to your reader which dialogs are direct transcripts and which are recreations.

What is an example of creative nonfiction?

There are many great examples of creative nonfiction. Here is one of my personal favorites:

What makes good creative nonfiction?

Good creative nonfiction should have a unique voice and theme. It has to have a purpose – a point it wants to make. Creative nonfiction may be based in facts, but it is never a dry recitation of those facts. The author’s task is to find meaning within those facts and bring the people and events to life within that meaning.

If a work is exploring a famous historical event it certainly won’t be the only book on that subject, so the author will need to imbue the work with a new perspective. There may possibly be new information that’s come to light, or a new eye-witness has agreed to share their thoughts. It needs to be grounded in reality, but the author can choose what parts of reality to emphasize or focus on to tell the story. This can create vastly different books talking about the same person or event – and both of them, if written well, will be true and accurate.

For example, two authors set out to discuss the Battle of Britain from the perspective of a single Royal Air Force squadron. But one author focuses on the mechanics desperately trying to keep the Spitfires ready to fly, while the other author follows the pilots as they endure the exhaustion and stress of near-constant battle. These two books are covering the same historical event, will mention the same battles, will describe in detail the same buildings and aircraft, and may even share characters. But they will be very different from each other.

How do you write creative nonfiction?

The best approach to writing creative nonfiction is to write from personal experience and set your own narrative. If you can report on real events as a witness you’ll bring your own unique perspective to the historical facts. But even if you’re separated in time and space from the events, you can still bring your own personal experience into the narrative.

For example, you might want to write a creative nonfiction book about ancient Rome. If you’re a civil engineer, your own training and experience can bring to light many fascinating details of how the Romans built their cities. If you’re a teacher, you can offer intriguing insights into the emphases Romans put into their education system and how that shaped their society.

Ultimately, creative nonfiction is intended to enlighten, and your personal perspective as an author will help you do that.

How do you analyze creative nonfiction?

Reading creative nonfiction is the best way to understand it. There are many great examples out there and the more you read the better prepared you’ll be to embark on your own project. But how do you analyze creative nonfiction? How do you “get behind the curtain” and learn how your favorite authors do what they do?

The first thing to do when analyzing creative nonfiction is to figure out what type of voice the author is using. Is it personal and intimate? Or objective and detached? Or cynical and funny? The tone of the writing gives the first clue to what sort of theme the author is exploring, and what kind of thoughts and feelings they wish to evoke in their reader.

The second thing to do is look at how the story unfolds. Does it follow a purely chronological path, or do the chapters jump back and forth in time? Does one thing seem to lead naturally into another, or does the narrative seem to be broken into separate paths (with them hopefully all coming together at the end)? Leaving the reader puzzled (for a short while) can even be a technique in creative nonfiction, if the author wants to force the readers to think for themselves.

As with anything, the more you study and practice, the better you’ll be at it. Good luck!

Best wishes!

Ben

Here are some related posts I highly recommend:

The 7 Most Effective Book Promotion Ideas For Nonfiction Authors

How to Find The Best Book Marketing Services For Nonfiction

How to Promote Your Nonfiction Book to Rank High on Amazon

How Many Sentences Are In A Paragraph?

by Bennett R. Coles Leave a Comment

If you’re unsure about how many sentences are in a paragraph, then this post is for you. You’ll find out what the purpose of a paragraph is in nonfiction and fiction writing, how paragraphs should be structured, their typical length, and the number of sentences in a typical paragraph.

What’s the Purpose of a Paragraph?

A paragraph is a group of sentences that are related to each other. Most of the time they’re related by subject – that is, every sentence in a paragraph is connected to the same topic. Most topics require multiple paragraphs to explore fully, but each paragraph should, by itself, fully encapsulate a single idea.

Sometimes a paragraph will introduce a new idea without fully exploring it, instead providing a transition into the next paragraph where that idea will be examined.

How Are Paragraphs Structured?

Paragraph structure depends on whether you’re writing fiction or nonfiction. A typical paragraph in fiction will capture a single idea in the drama. Examples include: a description of the scene; the complete movement of the character (such as entering the room, or completing a fight move); the complete thought process of a character; the description of a single item in the drama (such as the journey down a road, or the description of a dinner party).

Sometimes a fiction paragraph is very short – even a single sentence or even a partial sentence. This technique is used to add suspense or tension, either by adding stark emphasis on what has just happened, or interrupting the narrative with a surprise.

In nonfiction, the most common type of paragraph is the topic-sentence paragraph, which opens with introductory material related to the subject before transitioning into the supporting details. This sort of paragraph will typically have three main sections, introduction, support (or body), and conclusion.

How Many Sentences Are In A Paragraph?

The length of a paragraph varies depending on what style you’re writing in.

Fiction Writing

Because fiction writing varies so much based on style, it’s difficult to give a single answer to this question for all of fiction. But there are some guidelines we can consider.

First, the general style of fiction writing in recent decades has continued to move toward brevity. Many classics of English literature, such as the works of Charles Dickens, contain very long, descriptive paragraphs.

Others, such as the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, move forward at a leisurely pace, giving ample description not only of the scene but also of the character’s thoughts and even backstory.

Today, fiction writing is considered best when it’s brief. The reader is expected to use their imagination to “fill in the details” of a scene, which the author will describe in a few well-chosen sentences that provide more of a feel for the scene rather than every specific detail.

You certainly can provide specific details, but only do so if that detail is crucial to the story. In modern fiction writing, highlighting a detail is a signal to the reader that they need to remember that detail for later.

The move toward brevity also demands shorter paragraphs, so when you consider which idea your paragraph is going to encapsulate, think smaller rather than larger. If, for example, your narrative requires you to describe an entire school gymnasium during a basketball game in some detail, don’t try to fit it all into a single, massive paragraph.

Have one paragraph to describe the overall look and feel of the gym, a second to describe the two teams playing and a third to describe the cheering fans.

A good rule of thumb is to limit your fiction paragraphs to four or five sentences. It’s fine to occasionally stretch to six or even seven, but do so sparingly. Also try to mix up the narrative with shorter sentences as well, especially when your scene is high-tension and demands a brisk pace.

Dialog is an important part of fiction, and it obeys its own rules for paragraphs. In general, always start a new paragraph when a new person begins to speak. Sometimes dialog paragraphs can last for several sentences, but more often each one is short – often one or two sentences.

A line of dialog is sometimes only one word! Even so, you still need to start a new paragraph when the next person begins to speak.

You can combine dialog and narrative into a single paragraph, but only if the two ideas are directly connected. Usually the narrative sentence will describe an action by the character who is speaking that line of dialog.

It’s best to have the dialog come first and be followed by the narrative companion sentence, but it is acceptable to reverse this if the action must precede the speech.

Nonfiction Writing

In nonfiction writing, the first sentence of a paragraph typically introduces its topic and subsequent sentences discuss it in more detail, followed if necessary by a concluding sentence.

As in fiction the number of sentences in a typical paragraph can vary based on the style or subject matter of the writing. Nonfiction can generally get away with longer paragraphs than fiction because of the more coherent structure of nonfiction paragraphs, but even so the modern move toward brevity applies to nonfiction as well.

Think about how many times you’ve had to read a painfully boring (or confusing) nonfiction work. One of the biggest reasons readers get lost in nonfiction writing is over-long paragraphs that try to deliver either too many ideas or too many details supporting a single idea.

Because nonfiction very often is about the details, the need for in-depth paragraphs is real. But even so, it’s usually possible to break down a big idea into several sub-ideas and give each one of them its own paragraph. These sorts of linked paragraphs often don’t need a concluding sentence, because the subject matter moves clearly and smoothly from one paragraph to the next, but topic sentences are still very important.

Transition paragraphs should be short, with few details on offer. Their purpose is to reorient the reader to a new topic, but not to delve into that topic. A short transition paragraph – two or three sentences – is sufficient to set up the next paragraph, which properly explores the new topic.

When writing nonfiction be sure to study other works in your field to get a sense of what the norms are. Self-help nonfiction is very different from investigative journalism, for example, and nonfiction audiences are less forgiving than fiction audiences if you unintentionally ignore the conventions of your genre.

As a rule of thumb, though, start with six to seven sentences for a typical nonfiction paragraph. This is enough room for your topic sentence and the supporting details you need to fully expand your idea (or sub-idea).

On occasion you can stretch this to eight or nine sentences if required to get your idea across, but try to save this sort of length for key points or chapter conclusions. And no-one will ever fault you for shorter paragraphs, so long as they contain a complete and coherent thought.

Conclusion

Determining the right number of sentences for your paragraph is more of an art than a science, and it can be affected by your subject matter and the style of writing expected in your genre.

But if you can use the above rules of thumb for fiction and nonfiction you’ll be in good shape to build your narrative around well-organized and easily digestible topics which your reader will enjoy.

Best wishes!

Ben

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Punctuation Marks: A Guide for Nonfiction Writers

by Bennett R. Coles Leave a Comment

I know – grammar class was like the most boring class in school. And punctuation marks were never an exciting topic. But punctuation will make or break your writing.

Punctuation marks are important to the flow of a sentence. They insert necessary pauses, they provide clarity, they create links and they express emotion. Punctuation marks can also make the same words convey different meanings, depending on how they’re used. This article will talk about why we use punctuation, outline some basic punctuation rules you really should know, and give an overview of some of the most important punctuation marks in nonfiction writing.

Why Do We Use Punctuation?

Punctuation marks bring structure to a sentence. Without them you just have a series of words that can be interpreted in multiple ways unless they’re given the right context. Punctuation is what adds that context, providing meaning and clarity to sentences. Take this example:

“Some people find inspiration in cooking their families and their dogs.”

Compared to…

“Some people find inspiration in cooking, their families, and their dogs.”

Or how about this example:

“A woman without her man is nothing.”

Compared to…

“A woman: without her, man is nothing.”

In both cases we have the exact same words in the exact same order – but dramatically different meanings. I hope you can see why punctuation matters.

Punctuation is essential to effective writing and it uses very consistent rules. Make sure you know the rules well.

What Are Punctuation Rules?

Punctuation marks are each designed to perform specific functions, and they each have clear rules attached to them. While some punctuation marks are sometimes interchangeable, such as the comma or the dash for a subordinate clause like this one, every punctuation mark is meant to be used consistently. Even in the cases where you can choose one of several punctuation techniques – such as using a dash instead of commas to separate a subordinate clause like this one – there is probably one punctuation mark which is better in each specific instance.

Here are some basic punctuation rules:

Commas, these little marks you see before and after this clause, help separate thoughts within a sentence. They can also help out in lists, summaries, and collections.

Semicolons are used for linking two closely-related sentences into one; they’re particularly good when the two related thoughts are of equal importance.

A colon can also link two related sentences, but there’s a twist: when you use a colon, you’re indicating that the second sentence is more important.

Colons can also be used for other purposes: starting lists, adding emphasis, and introducing concluding thoughts.

Parentheses can enclose information (like side comments or clarifications) that may be interesting but don’t affect the main point of the sentence.

Periods indicate that the sentence is complete.

Question marks, like they sound, are placed at the end of any sentence which is a question. Is this always the case?

Yes! Exclamation marks are used to add emphasis to a thought.

What Are the Most Important Punctuation Marks?

While there are many punctuation marks in English, there are about a dozen that are most commonly used in the nonfiction genre.

The Comma, the Semicolon and the Colon

The comma is the primary mark for separating thoughts, ensuring clarity and making what we’ve written easier to understand. The comma is the main tool for structuring thoughts within a single sentence, giving the reader a moment to pause before going on to the next thought.

The semicolon and the colon each connect two related sentences more closely than a period. Both punctuation marks can also be used in lists: the colon to start a list and the semicolon to separate the items in a list.

The Period

The period is the mark that indicates the end of a sentence. It’s used to complete sentences and to mark an abrupt pause or a thought change. It can also be used for a particular kind of emphasis if you really want to drive a point home, but use this technique sparingly. Very. Sparingly.

Dashes and Hyphens

Dashes and hyphens connect things in a sentence. They’re both horizontal lines – like this – but the dash is the longer of the two and is used to connect related ideas or show a dramatic interjection as one idea jumps to a new one. The hyphen is shorter and is most commonly found connecting two words, like ninety-five, to form a single idea.

Dashes give you a way to jump from sentence to sentence in a way that is abrupt but also connected – kind of like the way we speak. This is a specific style, though, and not always acceptable in nonfiction writing.

Brackets

There are different kinds of brackets, but they all share a similar function: to enclose content you want to highlight in the text. Often this highlighted text isn’t necessary for the main idea of the sentence but it adds something of interest.

Brackets can also allow you as the writer to offer opposing ideas intertwined in the same sentence. For example, you might think that using brackets is poor style (even if the style guides approve) because it clutters the sentence (but adds depth).

Brackets can also be used for noting small details or providing information that otherwise would be left out of your paragraph.

The Apostrophe

Apostrophes are used for contractions and possessives. An example of a contraction is “don’t” versus “do not” – the words have been pushed together into one and the apostrophe indicates the missing letter. Possessives in English are always indicated by the addition of an apostrophe followed by the letter s. So the “bike belonging to the boy” becomes the “boy’s bike”.

Depending on what country you’re in (and what style guide you’re using) if a word already ends in s then you’ll still use the apostrophe to indicate possession but you may or may not add a second s. If the bike belongs to James, for example, in America it would be “James’s bike” but in the United Kingdom it would be “James’ bike”.

Question and Exclamation Marks

These punctuation marks are often used to show a change in tone or indicate an emotional response. The question mark shows uncertainty, like when we ask questions like “What do you think?”

The exclamation mark is most commonly found after words, phrases, and sentences that express strong feelings. It can also be used for emphasis, but be careful employing it outside of dialog or commentary. Exclamation marks are easy to overuse!

Quotation Marks

Finally, quotation marks are used to create a clear separation. They’re most commonly used to indicate speech, capturing all of the spoken words and separating them from the rest of the narrative.

“I love punctuation,” stated the high school student. “It’s useful and fun!”

But quotation marks are also used to create separation within a sentence if you want to highlight a phrase or even cast doubt on it, such as:

We observed the “training” with some concern.

This use of quotation marks is intended to isolate part of a sentence from the rest, usually to create a contrast.

Breaking the Rules of Punctuation

Can we break the rules of punctuation? Yes, but only do so rarely, and only for a good reason. That reason is usually to grab the reader’s attention – upsetting the normal rhythm of a narrative by breaking punctuation rules is the written equivalent of a shout – but even so it has to be done carefully. Most of the time, you can use punctuation as it’s intended and still score dramatic points.

Conclusion

Punctuation marks are an essential part of writing. Without them our words just run together in an endless stream of consciousness, difficult to understand and easy to misinterpret. Every writer needs to master the basic rules of punctuation and use them consistently. Punctuation marks provide a lot of flexibility for the experienced writer, and while breaking the rules may occasionally be required, most of the time the punctuation rules will give you everything you need to write well.

Best wishes!

Ben

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