Make each paragraph count
They are all critically important.
Robert Greene, who wrote the masterpiece The 48 Laws of Power, was on a podcast with Scott Galloway not long ago where he talked about … well, a lot of fascinating stuff actually, go listen if you have the time.
One thing he in particular he discussed was how each paragraph either draws readers in or pushes them away. And I’ve been obsessed with making each paragraph so tight and meaningful and empty of fluff as I possibly can ever since.
That’s true in fiction as well as in non-fiction. If your paragraph doesn’t serve your narrative, if there’s anything in it that makes readers wander off, it needs to be tightened.
It’s revolutionary. Amazingly difficult to implement because hell, now I have to make sure every paragraph is good enough to stay in the story. Shit. This is going to hurt. I’m having to delete a whole bunch of shit.
I’m still very new at this and I don’t have much by way of advice except to pass on this tip. Be ruthless with each paragraph. The fluff isn’t worth keeping.