inserting spaces/returns in form postings

I created a simple little guestbook in which a user can enter data into a textarea and then submit it. php script then fwrites the data to a separate file. the problem is extra spaces or returns are not displayed when viewed online. For example: "Hello. there are two spaces between this that this is a new paragraph." will write to the file correctly but be displayed in html as "Hello. there are two spaces between this that this is a new paragraph.". is there anyway to translate or write extra spaces and carriage returns in a file so that it is reflected on a browser without making the user enter a <br> or &nbsp; each time they want a return or an extra space? Thank you in advance Is there any way to simply __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Shopping - Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. http://shopping.yahoo.com/