This post is a little different from the others.
I am taking a brief detour from genomics here – no non-coding RNAs, no misconceptions in genomics, no history of DNA sequencing. This post explores the other side of my blog, that is writing. Specifically, I have a writing tip to share. Not a sweeping piece of advice to guide careers, like the one I offered to aspiring writers, but a small, practical one to spare you all from frustration.
I have listed 3 (actually 4) ways to make an em dash. Because this punctuation mark is as satisfying as it is surprisingly tricky to type.
Depending on your device and operating system, this is how you make an em dash:
- Mac OS: Option + Shift + minus (-),
- Windows: Alt + 0151,
- Android & iPhone: press and hold the minus (-) virtual key the until a panel of alternative dash options appears.
Finally, in Microsoft Word: type a word, then two minus signs (–), then another word (with no spaces between). When you hit backspace, Word will automatically convert the — into an em dash.
This little guide freed me from an impractical copy-paste routine — finding an em dash elsewhere on the internet and copying it into my text — a habit that I dragged on since becoming a professional writer.
I hope it will be useful to you too!
WritinGenomics 
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