Indent dialogue to make text look less blocky
I am writing a story but I am trying to indent the dialog because right now it looks like a chunk of text.
My text is
Then a figure under the box moved behind Professor to which John yelled “Professor! Watch out!” But due to his old age, he didn't hear him...
Would I indent it like
Then a figure under the box moved behind Professor to which John yelled
“Professor! Watch out!”
But due to his old age, he didn't hear him...
I tried researching but don't exactly get how to implement it into my story, also how else can I indent my story to make it look less like a big blob of text without having to introduce a new paragraph
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1 answer
If your paragraph is a gray wall of text, break it up where it makes sense. You aren't required to break it only on dialogue. And trim your narration too:
A figure under the box moved behind Professor. John yelled “Professor! Watch out!” Professor didn't hear him.
John had no choice. He leapt forward and tackled the shadow looming behind his mentor. They crashed to the ground in a tangle of flailing limbs. He couldn't get his bearings enough for a proper attack, and punched and kicked at the mystery figure in desperation.
From the other side of the room, a woman shouted "STOP!" Professor cried out something in response, but John couldn't make it out.
Each paragraph is a small beat, or a moment or thought. You can have longer beats and shorter beats. Vary them to help your readability.
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