Paragraph Basics

At the very top of the page, please insert one blank line.  This is done by typing one blank space (hit the Space Bar once), then doing a "soft return" (hold down Shift key + hit Enter).  Why do this?  It provides a little space after the headline that's automatically going to be above the story.

To start a new paragraph, hit the Enter key.  (This is also known as a "hard return".)

What the heck is up with these "hard" and "soft" returns, you may ask?  It's not as confusing as it seems at first.  Here's the basic difference: A hard return begins an entirely new paragraph, with a blank line in between paragraphs, while soft returns
(like this
and this)
force a break
in the text
without actually
starting a
whole new
paragraph.

You'll find that you use "plain old" hard returns 99% of the time.  It helps to be aware of soft returns, though, for advanced formatting.

As in Microsoft Word and other programs, you can choose to make the line endings visible by toggling the  "show details" button...

Hard returns will display as  and soft returns as .

When starting a whole new subsection, as I'm about to right now, separate the sections with two hard returns, like this...

Sentences

It's best to keep sentences short, within reason.  Double-space after each sentence. 

Single-spacing looks fine in most printed documents, where text is much more finely rendered and adjusted, but the relative crudeness of text on all but the most expensive monitors demands double-spacing between sentences.  It helps the eye scan the page much more easily, by providing areas of rest.  Single-spacing looks much more crowded and is harder to read.

For events and news items use this font and style. Only use bold letters on headers or single words/phrases you would like to highlight for importance.

Paragraph Style Recommendations:

• Keep paragraphs relatively short — 3 to 5 sentences is a good length.
   
• If a paragraph occupies 6 or more lines onscreen, look for a place to break it into two paragraphs.  Shorter paragraphs are always easier to read onscreen than long ones.
   
• If a paragraph mostly consists of a list of ideas or clauses separated by commas or semicolons, consider formatting it as a bulleted or numbered list instead.

At the very bottom of the page, we like to add an extra return or two.  This provides some white space between the end of the page content and the footer that will automatically be applied.  The white space at the bottom of this page was created with two hard returns and a single tap of the Space Bar.