I'm an old writer

"Older writers use too many dashes (both en and em), structure a piece in longer paragraphs, put “the end” or a dingbat after the last line, submit work that has been meticulously proofed, sometimes set up their email cover notes to look like traditional business letters, and are often extremely well-mannered."

Guilty. I do it all.  And, until now, I thought these were marks of a professional.  Turns out, it can "backfire with a much younger editor who is used to abbreviated quick-fire notes, interprets politesse as unnecessary blather, and sees a long missive as nothing more than a time suck."

Writer Lisa Romeo offers some (painful) insight on her blog, Lisa Romeo Writes. 

Read it and let me know: Are you weeping or cheering? 

Comments

[Tracy Allison Altman]

Guilty as charged.

[Nancy Carol Moody]

Weeping, of course, as I read my finely crafted cover letter and recall how much effort went into getting the language just right, not to mention the punctuation. But then again, I weep when I see tomatoe's written on a cardboard street sign, an en-dash where an em- should be, my own abominable ILY* scrawled at the bottom of a note to my spouse.

*ILY = I Love You

[drew]

Nancy Carol,
I'm with you. Weeping with this big world and small wonders (and blunders).