For a breakdown of the different types of dash/hyphen see my article on Em dash use in formal writing.

The easiest way to understand em dash use in creative writing is to read and decide for yourself what works and what doesn’t work. So below I will demonstrate through three books I recently read, and enjoyed: Portnoy’s Complaint, The Miniaturist and The Wolves of Winter.

1. Use dashes like Philip Roth

In Portnoy’s Complaint, Roth largely uses dashes to emphasise the inner — and sceptic — thoughts of his main character.

For in that time not a day—very likely, not an hour—passed that I did not ask myself…

…and say aloud—aloud!—“He’s dead.”

He uses the em dash for pauses and breaks in thought.

What if I get killed—or even worse, arrested!

When, so that we can leave off complaining how sick we are—and go out into the air, and live!

2. Use dashes like Jessie Burton

In The Miniaturist, Burton uses dashes to signify a pause, or break, in thought:

Cornelia says, ‘and then – Epiphany.’

‘He had a dagger, Seigneur. I thought he was going to – I never meant—’

Observe above, that she distinguishes what appear to be en dashes (–) from longer em dashes (—, my emphasis), using one for a pause the other when the character’s words are unfinished. The difference is clearer in the original text. The publisher’s in-house style may have led to this.

Burton also uses them for emphasis in speech:

‘We – you – must agree upon the terms.”

And for asides:

It could be, but those eyes – no one has ever looked at Nella like that before in her life – such a calm, transfixing curiosity.

3. Use dashes like Tyrell Johnson

In The Wolves of Winter, Johnson uses dashes for a pause in thought:

One, two – the first numbers of his tattoo were visible.

I tried to let the anger blow over me like snow on a car windshield—distant memories: [list]

Note in the one above that the pause functions to introduce a list, therefore breaking up a longer sentence.

Johnson also uses the dash to indicate an aside in thought:

Jax had gone—been escorted, rather—to Jeryl’s cabin after dinner.

It wouldn’t hold as well—a deer could probably pull it apart—but still, it was better than throwing the wire away.

And to break up speech:

Sure, we’re here to study people—see why the flu doesn’t like the chilly parts of the world.

In summary, dashes are use in creative writing for the following purposes:

*To indicate a stronger break than a parenthesis, such as one which indicates an aside, or a character’s internal thought that the writer wants to highlight to the reader.

*To indicate a pause in speech.

*Or to introduce what comes next, whether a new thought or a list (as a way to break up a longer sentence).

All three writers have these techniques in common, even if they have different preferences for what types of dashes they use.

Who is Emma?

Emma is a proofreader with 18 years of writing experience with businesses, academics and creative writers. She obtained a Creative Writing MA (St Andrews University) and a PhD in Storytelling (Warwick University). Then set up her own proofreading business and became a published author of fiction as well as academic literature such as Young People, Learning & Storytelling (Palgrave Macmillan).

Get in touch.

L’article Dash use in creative writing est apparu en premier sur Emma Parfitt Proofreading Editing Services.

A concise recap of types of dashes

First, a quick summary on  how to use dashes in formal writing:

Dash/Hyphen – use to connect words e.g. ‘well-known’.

En dash – to show a range of dates (basically, replaces the ‘to’) e.g. Profits increased from November – October that year.

Em dash — use like brackets/ellipses.

But some styles prefer to use an en dash or an em dash (as long as you remain consistent in the same piece of writing).

Em dash rules

Okay, let’s focus on the em-dash —

—To emphasise an extra thought or idea that is an addition to the text and will make sense without it (like brackets).

—To replace a colon at the start of a list. For example, I started this list with an em dash, although it is rarely used in business writing where a colon is preferred.

—To replace a bullet point list (again a matter of preference).

—And finally, to replace a pause indicated by an ellipsis (…)  in speech. This is therefore mostly used in creative writing.

When to use the em dash in business writing

So a quick glance above indicates that the use of the em dash in business writing should be restricted to an aside that you want to strongly emphasise, unless you use em dashes throughout instead of brackets. Keep it simple, stick to that rule and you can’t go wrong — or can you?

A matter of taste

Some people avoid the em dash because if brackets are like a statement dashes shout. In addition, using an em dash at the end of a sentence — as an aside — can look sloppy in formal writing, while it works well in creative writing. Dashes can be used for emphasis like brackets, but it depends on your reader. If you consistently prefer to use dashes instead of brackets that’s fine; alternatively, use occasionally for extra emphasis in a business document.

When it comes to spacing, usage can differ between offices and publishers. The older style was to leave no spaces, the modern style is to use spaces. Also American style is to have no spaces around the dash, while the British style is to use space (however publishing houses differ in their preference). You might also have noticed in writing that sometimes the dash appears to be longer than usual. In these cases, the simplest rule to follow is to pick the style you prefer and stick with it, and to pay attention to in-house style.

The most important, thing to take away from this article is to be consistent — whichever rules you choose to follow.

Who is Emma?

Emma is a proofreader with 18 years of writing experience with businesses, academics and creative writers. She obtained a Creative Writing MA (St Andrews University) and a PhD in Storytelling (Warwick University). Then set up her own proofreading business and became a published author of fiction as well as academic literature such as Young People, Learning & Storytelling (Palgrave Macmillan).

Get in touch.

L’article Em dash use in formal writing like reports, essays, theses… est apparu en premier sur Emma Parfitt Proofreading Editing Services.