Can I Still Use Em Dashes? Yes, You Can.

Recently, I was hired to work on an educational writing project, where I wrote a story for kids to practice specific analytical skills. Everything was going great. I’ve done work for this company for many years and really enjoy using my narrative skills to help students.

However, this time, something was different. When I got feedback from my supervisor, she told me that the story was good, but we had a problem.

I had committed the mortal offense of using an em dash.

“We can’t have dashes in this content,” she told me. “It’s a red flag that someone used AI, and we can’t present that image.”

I tried to explain to her that while her concern was valid to some extent, it was largely an overgeneralization (as I will soon elaborate). I think she left the offensive em dash in, but I’m not sure.

Regardless, it was a wake-up call for me about the danger AI poses not just in replacing the creative process, but also in actually impacting authors’ voices and styles at the level of craft.

Let me say this as clearly and kindly as possible:

You can still use em dashes.

In fact, you should.

Please don’t stop, especially because someone told you not to do it because of AI.

Somewhere along the way, through no fault of its own, the em dash has gotten dragged into this cultural moment of AI panic and made a culprit. Because large language models often overuse it, many writers have started to believe that using em dashes at all makes their writing sound artificial.

But punctuation isn’t guilt by association. The em dash had faithfully served authors for centuries. It didn’t just suddenly become robotic the moment ChatGPT existed.

What did happen is that many writers have begun doubting their natural voice, confusing their tools with the technology that sometimes imitates them.

And it isn’t just about the experience I had with that project. It’s because a lot of clients have asked me about this, too, so clearly we need to address it.

So, let’s talk about this honestly and explore why this fear is happening, what the em dash actually does, and how to use it with confidence and intention.

The Em Dash Didn’t Change. We Did.

During the pandemic, when I was meeting writers online and noticing how many lacked direction, something similar was already happening in the creative world. Writers were fearful, overwhelmed, and unsure of their own voices.

I think that today, the same psychological pattern is playing out with punctuation. I talk to writers all the time who are hyper-aware of anything that might make their writing seem less “human.”

And because AI sometimes does leans heavily on em dashes (the way a beginning writer leans on ellipses or semicolons), people assume the mark itself is the problem.

But em dashes are not a telltale sign of AI. They are a sign of voice. They behave the way we think—interruptive, intuitive, rhythmic, full of momentum. They let us change direction mid-sentence. They let us emphasize something important. They let us create breath and movement.

If anything, AI uses them because writers do. Not the other way around.

You’ll notice in my own writing (that is, if you’ve read The Goodbye-Love Generation and my essay collection Why I Dyed My Hair Purple and Other Unorthodox Stories) that I like em dashes. I don’t overuse them. I try to be intentional (more on this later). Do I misuse em dashes sometimes? Yeah, because guess what? I’m a human being.

The em dash in general is well-suited to thought, nuance, and the emotional undercurrent of a sentence. It’s a tool that belongs to us, and tools don’t stop being useful just because the robots often screw them up.

So, How Many Is Too Many?

This is where the fear often spikes. Writers want a rule they can rely on, something definitive that keeps them safely out of “AI territory.”

But writing isn’t a checklist; it’s a relationship with the reader.

Instead of counting em dashes, pay attention to two things.

Rhythm

If every sentence contains a dash, your writing may start to feel choppy or breathless. Consider whether the dash is truly needed, or whether a comma, period, or restructuring might serve better.

Intention

Ask: What job is this dash performing?

If it’s emphasizing, clarifying, interrupting, or dramatizing, great. If it’s just a placeholder for where you weren’t sure what to do next, revise.

In other words: don’t cut em dashes. Cut unintentional em dashes.

Your voice is still your voice, and the em dash is still one of the best tools you have for many purposes in tone, voice, and technique.

Why This Matters for Your Writing Identity

One of the greatest anxieties I see among authors is the fear of “getting it wrong.” Not just technically wrong, but identity wrong. Writers want to sound like themselves. They want their work to feel human, meaningful, and grounded in who they are.

And honestly, with a disturbing number of authors thinking that it’s totally okay to just have ChatGPT write their books, this is a valid concern.

This is especially true for the writers I serve: passionate storytellers with big visions, meaningful lived experiences, and a desire to impact readers through their gifts.

This is where the em dash conversation becomes bigger than punctuation. When you let fear dictate your craft decisions, you begin to silence your own voice.

By contrast, when we edit thoughtfully, we refine our voices rather than simply getting rid of techniques we’re afraid will compromise our integrity as human authors rather than bots.

In fact, part of my mission at Inkling Creative Strategies is to help writers grow in confidence, structure, and purpose so that fear, whether it’s fear of rejection, of being “too much,” or of sounding “too AI,” doesn’t get the final say.

If an em dash helps you express yourself more clearly or authentically, use it boldly.

Yes, You Can Still Use Em Dashes (I Promise)

Here’s the truth: readers are not scanning your punctuation for signs of artificial intelligence. They are looking for connection, insight, momentum, beauty, and clarity. They are listening for you, not what the pattern-recognition experts have allegedly told them to look for.

If the em dash helps deliver your meaning, your rhythm, your vulnerability, or your narrative shape, then it is doing exactly what it was created to do.

Punctuation is not moral. It’s not political. It’s not technological. It’s creative.

So go ahead—use the em dash. Shape it to your voice. Trust it. Trust yourself.

Your writing deserves the right tools that naturally express your voice, not fear of being doubted or judged.

Need an Editor Who Helps You Strengthen Your Voice?

If you’re wrestling with style, clarity, structure, punctuation, or just that nagging feeling that your manuscript “isn’t quite there,” I’d love to help.

As a developmental editor, line editor, and writing coach, I work with authors at every stage, from messy drafts to publication-ready manuscripts, to bring out the strongest, truest version of their voice and vision.

If you’re ready for expert feedback, encouragement, and a clear plan for moving forward, schedule a consultation with me. Let’s talk about where you are, where your project is going, and how we can get you there, dash by dash and sentence by sentence.

Click here to schedule your free consult.

You don’t have to navigate this alone. Let’s make your writing shine.