Writerly Thoughts from the Trenches
I’m under deep deadlines so I totally flaked on yesterday’s Writer Wednesday post.
But here are a few thoughts and fact checks while I’ve been revising.
Ellipses
I’m a super big fan of them. To me, they’re the perfect indication of a pause in thought or speech. Not an abrupt halt or pause, but more of a thoughtful one.
The ellipsis can also be used to indicate a pause in the flow of a sentence and is especially useful in quoted speech:
Juan thought and thought … and then thought some more.
"I’m wondering …" Juan said, bemused.
Em Dashes
I like these when I want that quick change of pace. Think about someone talking over you or interrupting you, cutting you off. This little guy is great for that.
In informal writing, em dashes may replace commas, semicolons, colons, and parentheses to indicate added emphasis, an interruption, or an abrupt change of thought.
Anaphora
Another personal favorite of mine is anaphora.
Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or verses.
"I want her to live. I want her to breathe. I want her to aerobicize."
(Weird Science, 1985)
