Writers overuse the em-dash–that all too convenient of punctuation marks. By employing the em-dash too often–whether out of laziness or a lack of creativity–they neglect the simple pleasures of the semicolon. Lionel Shriver writes for Standpoint:
These days, the semicolon exudes an aura of the fusty, the fastidious, and the defunct; of mildewed stacks, tight hair buns, and prissily sharpened pencils; of hesitancy, diffidence, and uncertainty, in contrast to the em-dash, which exudes a spirit of strength, flair, and decisiveness.
