Serious Writer Voice - A Critique

[Demesnedenoir]

With this topic broached again, I thought it might be an interesting topic to take on from a different direction.

What are your favorite and least favorite "serious writer voice" rules and why? I am personally open to using every tool in the box, although I'd insert "judiciously" in there. I don't have time to dig deep right now, but I will start with this one:

The EM Dash and it's lack of use in breaking dialogue. I love it! But it seems to be going the way of the dodo due to "rules".

 

[TheCatholicCrow]

The EM Dash and it's lack of use in breaking dialogue. I love it! But it seems to be going the way of the dodo due to "rules".

I LOVE using the em dash.

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

I use the em dash too - it's so much more dramatic on a page! (See!)

Cheers, Greg.

 

[skip.knox]

That was an en dash. <gdr>

 

[Rkcapps]

I know I'm exceptionally tardy to the party, but I love the em dash. It really adds emphasis. I also will use the occasional adverb, ellipsis and exclamation point. All in considered moderation.

 

[Devor]

This is certainly an old thread.

I spoke to an editor once about dashes and he said that they multiply. I looked back over my work after that and I noticed that he was right. I would go pages without using one, and then use four of them within a few paragraphs. I love the dash, and the ellipses, and the semicolon - hell, even the colon - with all the other tools. But it's important to use them with consistent intervals, when it's needed, because it's a small part of your developed writing voice. Don't use them a bunch just because you're going through a writing phase (or do, and fix it in editing, but be aware).