The purpose of this handout is to give some basic instruction and advice regarding the creation of understandable and coherent paragraphs. Contributors: Dana Lynn Driscoll, Allen Brizee. Last Edited: 2013-03-01 09:23:09. Paragraphs are units of thought with one adequately developed idea. Listed here are some rules of thumb to use when paragraphing. As your writing improves, you'll be able to break these rules to meet your own needs. Until then, these suggestions can be helpful. 1  Put only one main idea per paragraph. 2  Aim for three to five or more sentences per paragraph. 3  Include on each page about two handwritten or three typed paragraphs. 4  Make your paragraphs proportional to your paper. 5  If you have a few very short paragraphs, think about whether they are really parts of a ...