The role of the paragraph

A paragraph is more than just a block of words. It has form and function, but does not get the attention or respect that words and sentences do. What is the role of the paragraph?
Ken Fuson, retired columnist for the Des Moines Register, says creative writers should write in scenes, not paragraphs. A good story doesn't move from one paragraph to another but from one scene to another, says Fuson.
The late author Kurt Vonnegut said a paragraph has two purposes. It should either reveal character or advance the plot.
Other writers probably have other theories about paragraphs, and none are absolutes. But it's fair to say we should pay as much attention to writing good paragraphs as we do to writing good sentences filled with appropriate words.
As writers, we want to take our readers on a journey. Think of it as a long, enjoyable, engaging walk - and think of paragraphs as the sidewalk, the individual concrete blocks, that are the path we take to get there.