Don’t Fear the Em-Dash: A Content Marketer’s Guide to Writing in an AI Age

When the camera was first invented, artists around the world felt an immediate threat to their craft. When they were confronted with the reality of portrait photography, one artist declared, “From today, painting is dead!”

But other artists were not as defeatist. A new art style began to take form. If the camera could capture the realism and details that were considered the gold standard of paintings past, then artists had to show their value and do what machines couldn’t.

Rather than hide their paint strokes, they used them to add to the painting. Rather than adding meticulous details, basic shapes and strokes were used to show a landscape. Rather than the clear, harsh lines of reality, artists turned to a blurry, almost dreamy feel in their paintings.

This movement was known as Impressionism.

Now, you may be wondering, in an article discussing AI writing, why am I talking about a historical artistic movement?

Well, I believe we, especially writers, find ourselves at the same crossroads that artists of decades past found themselves. I’ve talked to many writers in the past few years, and the sentiment is the same: no one wants to have their writing mistaken as AI-generated. And for some people, that means moving away from the “tell-tale” signs that AI was involved in a piece of content.

But I dare to ask this question: Did realism lose its value in the world of art when the camera was invented?

Would you look at a photo-realistic painting today and ask, “Why would someone paint that? I can achieve the same results with my phone’s camera.”

I think not. Likewise, I don’t believe that we should reject certain writing styles and methods just to stand out in the age of AI.

Perhaps, by the end of this article, you’ll be convinced of the same.

Common AI-Written “Tells” & Their Purpose

I conducted a poll with my coworkers and friends. I wanted to see what they thought marked writing as definitively AI-written. With how fast AI advancements are being made, I was surprised to find that the answers I received did not differ much from the warning signs voices online have expressed for several months, or even years, now.

What did surprise me was how many of the so-called “tells” were well-respected writing practices, with years of history behind them. So let’s go through these signs and see if it’s really possible to avoid writing with them altogether.

1. The Dreaded Em-Dash—and Its Use

The em-dash—the scarlet letter in the writing world of AI-generated content. I’ve heard it over and over again, “AI uses em-dashes. You should avoid them to keep from looking like AI.”

But I want to push back against this idea. There is a purpose to em-dashes in the English language. They’re so vital and historic that they can even be found in Shakespeare’s writing.

They perform an important role that nearly no other punctuation can achieve—they provide a visual break, representing a pause that once could only be communicated in speech.

For example, consider the following sentence:

“‘Well,’ said the still waiting Harriet;—’well—and—and what shall I do?'”

This three-em-dash-in-a-row sentence is from Jane Austen’s Emma. Now, some would say that em-dashes can be easily replaced with commas or semicolons. So let’s give it a try with this same sentence:

“‘Well,’ said the still waiting Harriet; ‘well, and, and what shall I do?'”

With this change, do you still get that same stammering tone you saw in the first sentence? Likely not. In fact, it’s quite possible that your mind may have even glanced over the second “and” in the sentence entirely. You also seem to have lost the urgency expressed in the original.

What you may not realize (until it’s gone) is that writing must look good as much as it must sound good. Em-dashes are visual representations of pauses, breaks, and even stammering, giving our internal voices the context they need to read it correctly and our eyes a break to not miss important details.

AI does overuse em-dashes, and it can be a “tell” of sorts. But to get rid of em-dashes altogether is not the solution. A well-placed em-dash can only enhance your writing and show your own mastery of the English language. Overuse may harm your writing, but then again, Jane Austen used around 40 em-dashes in the single chapter I pulled the earlier quote from. So, I concede to each their own.

2. It’s Not Opposites. It’s Negation.

“Not x, but y.”

This style of sentence is another type of writing AI loves to pull on. From promotional materials to social media posts, you may see this sentence structure everywhere now.

This style of writing is known as negation. You may be familiar with negation from another quote:

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

See how powerful this tool can be? Ask yourself, would the quote hit quite as hard without the use of negation? The negation is foundational to understanding the point Martin Luther King, Jr. was trying to make.

As people, we love our comparisons and parallel experiences. We especially love it when we can contrast it with something of its opposite. It’s an easy way for us to quickly come to an understanding or even emphasize a sentence.

“It’s not just cold. It’s freezing.”

“I’m not mad. I’m disappointed.” (A classic from your favorite childhood teacher, perhaps.)

As you can see, negation has a long history of its use; however, we are seeing a rapidly increasing trend of this sentence structure. As the chart below shows, the use of “it’s not x, it’s y” has nearly doubled in just a year.

But is this really the AI “tell” everyone says it is? Or is it just overuse giving that impression?

Parallelism and negation have a place in writing. It reinforces your point, adds depth, and naturally ties ideas together. However, we need to be careful where we use it.

Does every title, call to action, or article really need to emphasize a point in this way? After all, there are other ways to make sure your audience understands the point you’re trying to make. Even just using italics may be enough to draw the reader’s attention.

However, keep in mind that if everything is made important, then nothing is important.

The answer is not avoidance, but rather mastery (see what I did there?). When properly placed and used in a way that’s truly impactful, it won’t feel like the generic, lifeless writing that often comes from AI generation.

Only use it when you truly have something to say—when the point is far too important to be glanced over. If you do that, people will lean in to listen.

3. The Many, Great, Overused Adjectives

If you’ve been a writer for any length of time, you’ve fallen into the trap of too many adjectives. And it seems like, over time, AI has picked up on this bad habit of ours.

Now, I wouldn’t go as far as to defend the overuse of adjectives. It does slow down your writing, and while it may have a place in ornate techniques of writing like purple prose, most writing we do on a day-to-day basis doesn’t require that style.

However, I have seen people go too far to the other extreme, avoiding adjectives altogether in order not to sound like AI.

This is where I would draw the line. Adjectives are a necessary and vital component in how we communicate. It can be a fun challenge to try to write without them or see how many you can cut back. But to avoid them completely will only hurt your writing.

What I think is more important, in my opinion, is to avoid the overuse of adjectives that AI is drawn to. Perhaps you have noticed this as well. AI loves to use the same type of adjectives over and over again, and many are not as common as they once were before the age of AI. For example, cutting-edge, remarkable, ever-evolving, pivotal, and enlightening are often overused by AI content, making the content feel repetitive and bland.

How many times have you said “cutting-edge” in a friendly conversation? Never? Exactly, my point (sorry, to my lovers of the word “cutting-edge”).

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of adjectives out there for us to use. But when we catch ourselves using the same generic, safe, corporate language found across the internet, that’s what makes writing sound more like AI than anything else.

Adjectives give us the space to be creative. Rather than avoiding them, see how a simple word change can enhance your flow and draw your readers in.

4. Rule. Of. Threes.

It’s said that “two’s company but three’s a crowd.” However, when we’re writing, creating, or even just in our day-to-day life, we’re often drawn to threes.

Three meals a day. Three times a day (morning, afternoon, night). Three acts in a story.

It’s even in some of our most famous stories and quotes: three little pigs, three genie wishes, “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” “I came. I saw. I conquered.” When you look around, threes are all around us. Even photography tends to follow the rule of thirds.

So it’s no surprise that AI has picked up on this little quirk of ours in its own writing. However, like the other examples we’ve gone over, people are beginning to notice an overabundance of threes in sentence structures and feel like they need to avoid it.

In fact, some claim that the rule of threes is as big a “tell,” if not more so, than em-dashes.

Now, it’s important to keep in mind that the rule of threes can feel elementary. After all, many of us were taught in school to write in threes (three sections in a report, at least three bullet points in a list, three items separated by commas, etc.). So when threes are repetitive, it can come across as a lower reading level or something written by AI.

But that’s not to say you should avoid threes altogether. Story-telling is built on a foundation of beginning, middle, and end. To reject this rule would feel more unnatural than a piece that was 100% AI generated. But perhaps, you can find ways to expand upon your threes.

Not everything needs a list. Where can you explain rather than list (show rather than tell)? You might even want to ask yourself what your audience will best respond to. Sometimes, the rule of threes can assist in making your content easier to skim and understand. And is it not more valuable to cater to your audience than it is to avoid what can be perceived as AI?

Where Humans Fit in an AI World

In 2004’s I, Robot, Will Smith’s character questions a robot, asking, “Human beings have dreams. Even dogs have dreams, but not you; you are just a machine. An imitation of life. Can a robot write a symphony? Can a robot turn a canvas into a beautiful masterpiece?”

The robot, in reply, simply asks, “Can you?”

The exchange is simple yet powerful. Being human doesn’t automatically grant us the ability to be the best writer in the world or even know the perfect thing to say every time. We get it wrong, or sometimes, maybe our writing is just not good (everyone has hard days).

Yet, again and again, it has been proven that human-led content remains on top. Regardless of how many AI tools are used or if it was assisted by AI, over 80% of consumers want to know there was a human behind the content.

That’s the key to authenticity. That’s the key to trust.

The public and many experts agree: AI cannot replace creativity. While we might be seeing a rise right now in certain AI “tells,” we should not hinder our creativity to avoid them completely. Plus, who’s to say that there won’t be new “tells” in another year or two or ten from now?

Writing and writing tools have always had a purpose. Just because they’re being utilized by AI doesn’t mean we should abandon these structures completely. Instead, we should grow in our own ability to write, understanding why certain structures work and when they’re most needed.

Like a painter holding a paintbrush, we are the ones in control of what we create. Even with a tool like AI, it’s our mastery that makes our voice stand out in the crowd.

Amplify Your Voice in the Age of AI

No matter how good AI gets or how much you may use it to assist in your writing, your voice is unique to you.

Whether you interact with customers face-to-face or communicate solely online, your client base knows your voice. Even if they can’t describe it fully, they know when it feels off. Consistency across your brand is what makes them feel like they’re interacting with a real person, and not just reading words across a screen.

If you’re not sure what that looks like or you feel overwhelmed navigating content in the age of AI, you’re not alone. Even the best communicators may have trouble finding a way to consistently present themselves online.

At PHOS Creative, we’ve become the masters of brand consistency and bringing your voice to life. From ads to blog posts (like this one) to social media, our content marketing team can take your voice, and all its nuances, and bring it to your audience.

Bring authenticity and creativity to your content, and reach out to our team to start a conversation!