How do you add two lines of blank space inbetween only certain paragraphs

[ShortStoryWriter]

Hello!

So I’m working on my first book of short stories, and would like to add two blank bars of space between only certain paragraphs for dramatic effect instead of creating a new chapter. I’m worried that pressing enter three times won’t translate over to kindle.

Is there an option sort of like “page break” where I can put a gap between paragraphs without just hitting enter? I only want it in certain paragraphs, where there is a pause or change in the story, but not big enough to create a new chapter.
Thank you so much! I’ve been searching all day online and have found nothing regarding this.
-Stephen

[mikekaganski]

I’d think of “dramatic effect”/pause as of kind of special content, and so I’d use a dedicated empty paragraph for that, with a properly defined style (with spacing if required). Somehow I feel that in this specific case, using empty paragraph is justified. The pause doesn’t seem right as a property of the previous/next paragraph, it’s a part of text imo.

[ShortStoryWriter]

Hi Mike! Thank you so much for the response. Sorry if this is a basic question, but what would be the best way to go about adding an empty paragraph? Thank you so much for your time.

[mikekaganski]

Just two Enters, and the specially configured “Pause” style in between. First Enter starts the new paragraph, then you apply the style (double-clicking on the styles pane (F11), or using a keyboard shortcut you configure); the second Enter finishes the paragraph, leaving empty.

This way, you may later enumerate your Pauses, and edit its properties across all the document at once.

[ajlittoz]

As @mikekaganski said it, either the “pause” is an important semantic element per se and it deserves its own empty paragraph with a dedicated paragraph style (so that you can modify all pauses simultaneously), or it introduces a paragraph, in which case the extra spacing “above” is added to a dedicated paragraph style.

In either case, the Next Style is set to your standard paragraph style for the transition to occur automatically when you hit Return. You only need to “style” when you are entering the “pause”.

Remember that having a sequence of several empty paragraphs is usually bad practice, betraying a lack of organisation of your document.

[ShortStoryWriter]

Thank you both very much for explaining!

[Rez]

Hi,

If I am not wrong, Format → Paragraph → Intends & Spacing → Spacing → Below paragraph should be enough to solve your problem.

[ShortStoryWriter]

Thank you!!