Em dashes—why writers should use them more sparingly.

According to the Associated Press Stylebook—Slate's bible for all things punctuation- and grammar-related—there are two main prose uses—the abrupt change and the series within a phrase—for the em dash. The guide does not explicitly say that writers can use the dash in lieu of properly crafting sentences, or instead of a comma or a parenthetical or a colon—and yet in practical usage, we do. A lot—or so I have observed lately. America's finest prose—in blogs, magazines, newspapers, or novels—is littered with so many dashes among the dots it's as if the language is signaling distress in Morse code.[more ...] Continue reading at 'Slate'

[ Slate | 2011-05-25 00:00:00 UTC ]

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Em dashes—why writers should use them more sparingly.

According to the Associated Press Stylebook—Slate's bible for all things punctuation- and grammar-related—there are two main prose uses—the abrupt change and the series within a phrase—for the em dash. The guide does not explicitly say that writers can use the dash in lieu of properly crafting... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2011-05-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookCon 2015: Put ’Em Up! Powerhouse Mystery Writers Reveal Secrets on the ‘Pencil Panel’

Don’t tell anyone,” confides bestselling author Brad Meltzer about today’s panel “Inside the Mystery Writer’s Studio,” in which he is participating with fellow superstars James Patterson and Nelson DeMille. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #nelson demille #mystery writer

Denis Johnson, 'Writer's Writer's Writer,' Dead at 67

The award-winning fiction writer, poet, and playwright, whose best-known and most influential work, the story collection 'Jesus' Son,' turned 25 this year, has died. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #story collection #denis johnson

Writers Talking Writers: China Miéville on Jane Gaskell and Keanu Reeves on Cormac McCarthy

Miéville and Reeves reflect on two writers whose influence can be felt in the duo's new collaboration, 'The Book of Elsewhere.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-07-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #cormac mccarthy #keanu reeves #china miville

Writers Talking Writers: Paul Theroux on George Orwell and Ferdia Lennon on James Joyce

Two writers discuss the literary forebears who directly inspired their latest novels. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-06-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #latest novels #writers discuss #james joyce #george orwell #paul theroux

Writers Talking Writers: Jennifer Egan on Edith Wharton and Jinwoo Chong on John Okada

Two writers whose work explores the aggregate nature of personal and collective fate discuss authors who were master interrogators of social dualism in their own times. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #edith wharton #jennifer egan

‘The crime writer crime writers read’: Garry Disher, author of 60 books and finding fame in his 70s

The Australian author is ‘incredibly influential’, but has had to survive decades of ‘cultural cringe’ and genre snobbery to make finally ‘a decent sort of living’Before parched and dusty towns across Australia became full of fictional sinister people; before the explosion of outback noir and... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-04-05 23:00:18 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #australian author #bestseller lists #writing workshops

Writers Talking Writers: Emily St. John Mandel on Irène Némirovsky and Sarah Rose Etter on Tove Ditlevson

Two writers whose work investigates how individuals fare when wider forces spin beyond their control discuss literary influences with similar preoccupations. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-04-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Writer Mothers and Their Writer Children

Author Jill Hoffman, the daughter of a writer, explores her complex relationship with her daughter, yet another writer. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Northern Writers' Awards gives £47k worth of prizes to 27 writers

Twenty-seven writers have been recognised at this year's annual Northern Writers’ Awards, sharing the £47,000 prize fund to enable their new writing in progress, across forms including prose, poetry and television.   Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-07-09 14:11:07 UTC ]
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Are You a New York Writer or an LA Writer?

You go to a coffee shop in order to focus on your craft. What do you order?  A. A black coffee.  B. An almond milk matcha.  What is your critically acclaimed debut novel about?  A. A man getting stuck on a subway train and revisiting the weight of all of the mistakes he’s made in […] The post... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2019-11-01 11:00:37 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #debut novel #electric literature #coffee shop

London Writers Awards celebrates 30 'underrepresented' writers

Spread the Word has chosen 30 writers from underrepresented backgrounds for its second annual London Writers Awards. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-09-23 16:49:46 UTC ]
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‘Writer’s Summit’ from London Book Fair and Writer’s Digest Announces Pitch Slam Agents

Now with a 'pitch slam' event in which writers present projects to agents, the November 'Writer's Summit' is co-chaired by The Guardian's Alison Flood. The post ‘Writer’s Summit’ from London Book Fair and Writer’s Digest Announces Pitch Slam Agents appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-09-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A 68-year-old aspiring writer accuses the Iowa Writers' Workshop of age discrimination

A 68-year-old man who was rejected by the prestigious Iowa Writers' Workshop has filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, claiming he was discriminated against because of his age. Dan Thomson, a former lawyer and self-published author, was among the 97% of applicants to the... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-07-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Writer's writer William Zinsser dies

Author and writing coach William Zinsser, who penned the best-selling book On Writing Well, dies in New York, aged 92. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2015-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #best-selling book

Ayad Akhtar Wants Writers to Reckon with AI

McNeal, the new play by Ayad Akhtar, who won the Pulitzer Prize for Disgraced, focuses on an egocentric, self-destructive white male novelist, played by Robert Downey, Jr. The fictional Jacob McNeal—think Mailer or Roth at their worst—wins the Nobel Prize early in the play, but he’s guarding a... Continue reading at The Millions

[ The Millions | 2024-11-14 13:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #pulitzer prize

Christian Writer's Top Award Takes Fantasy to New Reality

On November 14, Christian Spec fiction author Sharon Hinck will be inducted into The Christy Award Hall of Fame, a milestone for both the author and the increasingly popular genre. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-11-05 05:00:00 UTC ]
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South Arts Launches Multi-State Hurricane Relief Fund for Writers, Artists

South Arts is launching an emergency relief fund for artists affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton across six southern states, offering grants starting at $500 to artists across disciplines while coordinating with local partners for distribution and additional resources. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-11-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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“Brilliant, Unquiet Minds.” Remembering the Writers Who Struggled With Their Demons

It was raining the day I met Elizabeth Wurtzel. She arrived at our offices wrapped in a wool scarf. I was a newly minted editor at Houghton Mifflin, and we were considering her memoir on depression, then titled “I Feel So Down I Want to Die.” She apologized for being late. She fished in her […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-10-02 08:55:10 UTC ]
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The Short Stories of Moroccan Writer Mohamed Choukri: A Talk by Dr. Jonas Elbousty, by The Editors of WLT

The Short Stories of Moroccan Writer Mohamed Choukri: A Talk by Dr. Jonas Elbousty, by The Editors of WLT News and Events [email protected] Thu, 09/26/2024 - 13:32 The University of Oklahoma’s Center for Middle East Studies; Department of Modern... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2024-09-26 18:32:59 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #short stories #macmillan #literary translator #devastating effects #short-story collections #key figure #short fiction #general public #robvollmar@ou