Editorial Tip of the Week: List It Out

Black Friday may be a distant memory, three days in the past, but considering the month of December is already upon us, the list of things that must be done for the holiday season is only growing longer and longer. If for any reason your text requires you to make a list, don't forget to check it (twice) according to the rules of Chicago.

All items in a list should be syntactically alike, whether they utilize noun forms, phrases, full sentences, or whatever is required by the context. Numerals or letters do not have to be used unless they will serve a purpose (to indicate order, importance, or to more clearly separate items). Lists may be made in one of two ways: either run into the text or set vertically in outline style.

Shorter and simpler lists are better in-text, especially if the items form a complete grammatical sentence with their introduction. As in, In her letter to Santa she asked for a teddy bear, roller skates, and blue hair ribbons. In other cases, the items in a list may be separated by numerals or letters, and these divisional markings should be enclosed in parenthesis. "No punctuation precedes the first parenthesis if the last word of the introductory material is a verb or a preposition. If the introdcutory material is an independent clause, a colon should precede the first parenthesis. The department store used three signature items for gift-wrapping all items for their customers: (1) silver tissue paper, (2) blue wrapping paper with silver stars, and (3) silver curling ribbon. Items in the list should be separated by commas, with the comma preceding the following number or letter; however, if any of the items require internal commas, the items should be separated by semicolons.

If a list is extremely long or if each item in a list consists of a complete sentence or several sentences, then it is best to set the list vertically. These lists are still best introduced with a complete sentence, followed by a colon. Only use closing punctuation in each item if each item is numbered or requires multiple sentences. If items are longer than one line, indent the second line to align with the first word (following the number). Shorter and skinnier items can be divided into two columns to save space. Sometimes bullets may be used as clear markings for unnumbered lists, but if used too often, they lose their force. Either of the examples above could be set in a vertical list, especially if the list grew longer, or more explanation was necessary for each new item. Other examples of strong vertical lists include shopping lists or directions.

Lists are good ways of presenting information and reminding us of what needs to be done. But we all know the best part of making a list is getting to check items off!

Spotlighted Literary Events

Nov. 29th, 4 pm: Dozens of sci-fi writers, including Star Trek's Dean Wesley Smith, gather to sign as part of Sci-Fi Authorfest III at Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing (3415 SW Cedar Hills Crossing). Costumes encouraged.

Dec. 2nd, 7-9 pm: First Wednesdays @ Blackbird Wine Shop in Portland with readers Michael Shay, Ric Vrana, Roger Truax and David Matthews. 21 & over.

Dec. 2nd, 5:30 pm: Christina Perozzi and Hallie Beaune's new book, The Naked Pint, introduced at a beer pairing tasting, hosted at 23Hoyt in Portland. Call 503.445.7400 for required reservations. $20 a person.

Dec. 5th, 1 pm: Mini Sledgehammer Contest at the Cloud and Leaf Bookshop in Manzanita, OR. A reading from Sledgehammer winner Alan Dubinsky, and a 36 minute writing contest.

Dec. 6th, 1-5 pm: Writing Out the Holidays workshop, presented by Portland Women Writers. So many stories to tell of holidays past, present and future. Hosted by Jennifer Springsteen (4111 NE 109th Ave. Portland) $60, register by email: jennspring@pdxwomenwriters.com.

Editorial Tip of the Week: Em, En, Oh Please

The story of ems and ens is one of the usual sibling rivalry. Different strokes for different folks; different rules for these two very different tools. Unfortunately, folks often want to misuse or replace one for the other. And while they may be siblings, the em and en dash are definitely not twins; therefore, they should be treated as individuals with their own unique personalities and abilities. In fact, an en is actually equal to half of an em (referring to their typographical measurements). But that doesn't mean an en isn't as good; ens and ems are just different. The basic distinguishing factor is how to type these elements. Think of it in terms of their similarity to the hyphen, their cousin; in this case, an en dash is one hyphen and an em dash is two hyphens.

Since they don't look identical, their purposes are different as well. We love the em dash because it has numerous uses and can be very versatile to the needs of a writer. Most frequently, an em dash is used to amplify or explain, much like commas, parentheses, or colons set apart other parts in a sentence. The influence of three impressionists--Monet, Sisley, and Degas--is obvious in her work.

Another use for the em dash is to separate a subject (or series of subjects) from the pronoun that introduces the main clause: Darkness, thunder, a sudden scream--nothing alarmed the child. Writers also need to sometimes indicate sudden breaks in the sentence structure, perhaps as interruptions in thoughts or dialogue, and an em dash is perfect for this purpose.

The en dash is a whole different story, most commonly called upon to connect numbers and occasionally to connect words as well. En dashes can stand in place of the words up to and including (or through). As in, Join us o Thursday, 11:30 am - 4:00 pm, to celebrate the New Year. To be consistent though, the en dash should not be used in place of to, if from precedes the first element. An en dash may also appear by itself after a date, indicating that something has not yet ended, like an event, a publication or a person's life.

Chicago also says that multiple em dashes can be used together. Oh please. But it's true! A 2-em dash would be used to omit or disguise something, possibly a name, an expletive, or other information that is missing. When a whole word is missing, space appears on both sides of the dash; no space will appear between the dash and the existing parts when only part of a word is missing. Now, for the really crazy part. A 3-em dash can also be used in a bibliography. Followed by a period, a 3-em dash represents that the same author or editor is named in the preceding entry.

Life lesson: These two typographical rules may be different from each other. But an em dash can't do the work of an en dash, and vice versa. So we'll keep them both, because, after all, they're family.

Spotlighted Literary Events

Nov. 20th & 21st, 8:30 pm: Mortified at Portland's Someday Lounge (125 NW 5th Ave.). Portland writers share love letters, journals, home videos and sketches from adolescence. $12 at the door, $10 in advance.

Nov. 21st, 7 pm: Dynamic combo of literature, art and music in Arty Words Vol. III at Disjecta (8271 N. Interstate, Portland). Featuring American essayist Curtis White with David Biespiel. Music by Adrian Orange and the Child Slave Rebellion. 21 and over, $8.

Nov. 23rd, 7 pm: Oregon Writers Colony presents readings from the writing contest finalists and winners at the Looking Glass Bookstore in Portland (7983 SE 13th Ave.)

Nov. 24th, 7 pm: Celebrate the release of The Black Book: 35th Anniversary Edition. Includes writers Porscha Burke and Toure; editorial team led by Toni Morrison and Middleton A. Harris. New York Barnes & Noble at 33 East 17th St.

Photo Story Prompt: Barb Wire

Write whatever comes to you--short or long, fiction or truth.
We'd love to see what you come up with! Post your story in a comment below, or e-mail it to photostory@indigoediting.com.

Feel free to comment on each other's stories and just generally enjoy the process of playing with the written word and the world it creates.

Happy writing!

Photo: "Burnt Out" by Mike Hardisty