: Re: Should I start a new paragraph after a dialogue if the action is being taken by a new person? I am currently editing an original work of fiction, and one of the things I'm having the most

@Jessie137

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First of all, I'll admit I had some trouble identifying who said

“I thought you said that name was already taken?”

I'm assuming that Oddie said it in reaction to Arden's suggestion and that Nat, the narrator, got exasperated when Arden shrugged. Please let me know if I got it wrong.

Option 2

“We can just call her Rose,” Arden suggests, leaning back on his hands, any leftover semblances of sleep wiped clear from his face.
“I thought you said that name was already taken?” He shrugs, toeing the remnants of his cloak over his lap. I throw my arms in the air, exasperated.

This makes it look as if the speaker shrugs while saying the line.

Option 1

“We can just call her Rose,” Arden suggests, leaning back on his hands, any leftover semblances of sleep wiped clear from his face.
“I thought you said that name was already taken?”
He shrugs, toeing the remnants of his cloak over his lap. I throw my arms in the air, exasperated.

This does not give the impression the speaker of the line and the person who shrugs are the same.

Note:
If you feel the reader might get confused about who is saying what, use the character's name or an attribute that clearly identifies the character.

“I thought you said that name was already taken?”
Arden shrugs, toeing the remnants of his cloak over his lap.

Imagine that Arden's cloak is blue while Oddie's brown.

“I thought you said that name was already taken?”
He shrugged, toeing the remnants of his blue cloak over his lap.

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