23 Comments
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Healing from toxicity's avatar

I'm starting to embrace it in my writing. Perfect example of AI (originally) being influenced by Humans who in turn are (now) influenced by AI — full circle moment.

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David Okigbo's avatar

IJBOL, but the em dash deserves her flowers, though. Total icon of page and screen... she would be greatly missed😭

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Layla's avatar

Before ChatGPT, I loved using the dash. I would be dashing away on my keyboard.

Now, I fear the dash. I find myself moving away from it and towards a good old comma instead just to avoid any doubt.

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Phillip Slater's avatar

If you want to dash, you keep dashing 👍.

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Trying to Live!'s avatar

I love it!

Good one!

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Phillip Slater's avatar

Thanks very much.

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Esther Stanway-Williams's avatar

Ha ha, clever!

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Phillip Slater's avatar

Thanks Esther.

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TORLEY 🍉🎹's avatar

Extra points for making it a POEM too, you might enjoy this compilation of 💖 EMDASHLOVE... without further ado: https://torley.substack.com/p/--

(Gonna add a link to you!)

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Phillip Slater's avatar

Thanks very much. I really appreciate that.

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Damien Peters's avatar

"Level with the semi-colon."

Brilliant.

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Phillip Slater's avatar

Thanks Damien.

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Stella Chibuike-Ezike's avatar

This is so charming. I love how you’ve woven humour and creativity into this. Reading it made me smile.

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Phillip Slater's avatar

Thanks Stella.

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Andrew Joseffer's avatar

It plagues my writing for better or for worse.

I was told that I had to learn to write like a journalist instead of an academic or a story teller for my career. An em dash followed by groups of three. Now I’m scared that people will think my writing was artificially created 😰

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Phillip Slater's avatar

They won’t. If you say it isn’t, it isn’t. That’s good enough for me. Thanks for reading though.

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Andrew Joseffer's avatar

Thank you 🙏. And of course, I really enjoyed your poem! Can’t wait to read more of your work.

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Phillip Slater's avatar

Great - It’s not all about punctuation though (sorry if that disappoints ☺️).

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Sanya🧷's avatar

tbh I fear em dashes now even tho I love those

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Phillip Slater's avatar

Thanks Sanya.

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Eve_Interrupted's avatar

I love this!!!!!!

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Phillip Slater's avatar

Thanks Eve.

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Brenda - A Voice that Wonders's avatar

Made me smile. Dashes have their place. Semi colons too are necessary for those puzzling sentences. But whatever. I use what feels right. 🤣

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