Tag: grammar

dash it all!

Published on by Michael McCandlessLeave a comment

I can’t imagine why there’s a controversy around the using dashes correctly, but there it is. Especially the “em” dash. My position? Use the em and other types of dashes liberally, but accurately. Like so many publishing terms, the “em” in “em dash” derives from the old days of printing and typesetting. The length of an em dash, far from being arbitrary, was equal to the width of the letter “m” in whatever typeface was being used. Simple, right?

Usage

The bigger question is when to use em dashes. That’s pretty simple, too, but also a bit sublime. I find that em dashes are all about pacing — (note the em dash) guiding the reader through your text. This is really useful in fiction. Storytelling with em dashes at just the right points is almost like being there — listening to you tell the story audibly.

Less-experienced writers sometimes use an ellipsis (the three-dot thingy) where they should being using an em dash. Ellipses indicate missing text: “His boring speech began with a joke…it ended with mild applause.” In some instances, the em dash may be confused with a colon, which is used to show that what follows provides detail to what was just said, as in “We had a great summer vacation with special side trips to some of our favorite places: Disney World, Cape Canaveral, and Daytona Beach.”

More dashes

Then, there is also the “en” dash, which — you guessed it — is equal to the width of the letter “n” in the typeface. En dashes are used by rule to separate the elements of a range, as in pages 12–15, a connection, as is in the date 12–19–2025. It’s sort of like a hyper hyphen, which is just a shorter dash.

How do you insert em and en dashes? Your word processing tool may let you use the commands Insert and then Symbol. A faster way is to place your cursor where you want the em dash to appear. Then, hold down Alt and type 0151 for an em dash, 0150 for an en dash, or 0045 for a hyphen. These numbers are part of the ASCII range of codes, but that’s another post.

For more on any of this, just consult your favorite style guide (mine is the Chicago Manual of Style) , search engine, AI tool, or Wikipedia. And have fun going crazy with dashes until you get them under control.

Myths & truths about book editing

Published on by Michael McCandlessLeave a comment

Of all the parts of self-publishing that authors should get help with, editing should be your first priority. You don’t have to pay a professional editor, but you do need your book looked at by someone who can be dispassionate and knows their way around a style guide such as the Chicago Manual of Style or the AP Stylebook. This well-written article explores the common myths and the key truths about book editing and editors. Use a wise eye and a cool head to glean what it offers.

Source: 7 Deadly Myths and 3 Inspired Truths About Book Editing

Copy editting…don’t publish without it.

Published on by Mike McCandlessLeave a comment

Editor job title on nameplateEffective copy editing removes verbal noise from your manuscript. Great copy editing is invisible and makes you look like a better author. Here’s a good article for self-publishers on the promise and pitfalls of doing your own copy editing. Summary? Proceed with caution. (Yes, we know about the misspelling in the header.)