paragraph breaks.

pleasee helppp. i always struggle with using these

Hey I think I can help a bit . So, paragraph breaks are where you separate sentences into new paragraphs. Um I'm not really a professional writer so I don't know the actual rules for this, but here's what I know:

Use paragraph breaks when a new character starts speaking: What this means is, you wouldn't have two different character's dialogue in the same paragraph; you separate the dialogue based on who's talking.
Example:

(Before paragraph breaks)
"Where did you go?" she asked, tapping her foot. "Nowhere," I lied.

(after paragraph breaks)
"Where did you go?" she asked, tapping her foot impatiently.
"Nowhere," I lied.

Use paragraph breaks to separate actions: Similarly to the first one, you may want to make paragraph breaks to separate the actions of different characters, especially when the actions combine with dialogue. This can especially help in action-packed scenes to help the reader better understand what is happening.
However, unlike #1, don't think this rule is so set-in-stone; including the actions of several characters in one paragraph isn't necessarily wrong, and sometimes writers intentionally break this rule as a stylistic choice.
Example:

(before paragraph breaks)
The teacher scowled as she handed back the test papers. "I am not happy with your test results," she said. I tapped my fingers nervously as she approached my desk. What was my score going to be?

(after paragraph breaks)
The teacher scowled as she handed back the test papers. "I am not happy with your test results," she said.
I tapped my fingers nervously as she approached my desk. What was my score going to be?

Use paragraph breaks when the subject changes: use paragraph breaks to separate ideas or parts of the story. Uh I don't really have an example for this one bc its kinda self-explanatory

Use paragraph breaks to create tension or to highlight certain points: Having paragraphs that are really short can create drama and emotion in your story, and can draw the reader's focus to certain points. Obviously this one isn't mandatory because it depends on what you're writing and what kind of effect you're going for.
Example (from my own writing lol, its a little old tho):

(before paragraph breaks)
Bob peered through the doorway. Through the darkness, he could see that the young woman—whom he had met earlier that day—had woken up from her nap. She was sitting in the wooden chair he had given her. She didn’t seem too happy, though. She thrashed around, trying to break the ropes that tied her to the chair. She was trying to scream something, but the sound was muffled by the tape over her mouth. Her legs had bloody claw marks from being dragged by her ankles, and her hair had sticks and leaves from the forest Bob found her in. When she saw Bob, she froze. It sounded like she stopped breathing.

(after paragraph breaks)
He peered through the doorway. Through the darkness, he could see that the young woman—whom he had met earlier that day—had woken up from her nap. She was sitting in the wooden chair Bob had given her.

She didn’t seem too happy, though.

She thrashed around, trying to break the ropes that tied her to the chair. She was trying to scream something, but the sound was muffled by the tape over her mouth. Her legs had bloody claw marks from being dragged by her ankles, and her hair had sticks and leaves from the forest Bob found her in.

When she saw Bob, she froze. It sounded like she stopped breathing.

Hope this could help in some way!!

that helps so much gengar!

i'll try to use these tips in my writing, thank you man