Today I want to share two things that were recently shared with me. I've have always been of the opinion that writing rules are often a bit overrated and should be broken as a writer deems appropriate. In some cases, however, I believe that rule-breaking can be a bit overdone. I agree with an article from Slate Magazine that my sister sent along this week on the overuse of the "Em dash." You know that good old dash - the one used to separate a clause or emphasize a point in lieu of other forms of punctuation? Emily Dickinson may have used it well, but common usage has brought it to a whole new level - less artistic - and more - annoying.
Check out this article for Slate contributor Noreen Malone's argument against the Em dash:
http://www.slate.com/id/2295413
On a more positive note, for the rule breaking type at least, is a video from Merriam-Webster's "ask the editor" shared with me by my husband. I have been long known to end a sentence with a preposition when the moment is right; check out Merriam-Webster's argument:
Happy rule breaking!
