The fall of Em Dashes

[EncryptedWriting]

As we get our last few topics in, I had one in mind that I have been mulling over. This is: how em dashes will slowly slip away.

Most days, folks will associate em dashes with AI. And, as a writer who uses em dashes on the regular, it lowkey makes me sad. I like my em dashes. I think they look good in my writing and I don't want to give them up. But I also think folks will see an em dash in my writing and be like "well that means it is AI!" Like nooooo! I just really like em dashes.

I almost consider just showing them the unedited draft whenever an em dash shows up to showcase that I have used them for however long.

How do yall feel about em dashes? Like them? Hate them? Won't miss them?

[silverraven0]

I like em dashes. When reading novels or stories with em dash, it works super well for interruptions, just like how we can be distracted in our mind when thinking which is different interruptions unlike ; or just ,.

I also like to use dash - for other purpose like stutter or some other form of connection to dialogue interruptions, but nowadays when I wrote things I sometimes thought if my writing style somehow felt like AI and get discouraged by it lmao.

[SnarkyLisa]

I like using dashes as well.

I know it’s technically incorrect, but I find that using the short versions of them instead of the proper ones can offset making the text looking like AI…

[dan_thepainter]

I don't really use them myself but I do like em dashes. They offer nice pacing to someones writing. I admit that Gen AI has kind of tainted them for me and makes me raise an eyebrow whenever I see too many of them in someone's writing these days, but I don't think that should stop people from using them!

[MattsyKun]

I'm a fanfic writer in my spare time, AI can take my em dashes from my cold dead hands.

Did you know the oxford comma is apparently an AI tell? The thing that they TAUGHT US TO DO IN SCHOOL??? maaaaaaaaaaaaaan

[remiquise]

Though I admit the whole "em dash = AI" crap got me using semicolons more often than I used to, I believe a veriatey of punctuation is healthy for a piece-- speaking in terms of fiction, since that's the only type of writing I am familiar with. It's more visually appealing, can help convey different feelings, and frankly is just professional. It shows the author has a grasp on the language and its rules. AI learned off more proper, professional work so of course it would lean on superficial indications of such.

All that said, I absolutely refuse to dumb down my work or language because others think people are too stupid to use punctuation (or uncommon words, for that matter) properly. AI is gettin to a point it might be able to replicate any and everything, so fighting it by changing one's own work is just foolish. I just must hold out hope my words possess enough personality to convince folks it is human made; this endevour is probably hindered by the fact my writing is largely inspired by classic fiction... I'm sure AI has devoured all the works I loved and learned from long ago. Oh well. Such as life in the creative's AI dystopian present, hah.

[silverraven0]

... I, I did this a lot... Why do I have so many 'AI writing tells' lmao.