Sain thee, Seelie Wights!

Here’s a Rare Post from me. I’m keeping them rare, so that your inbox doesn’t get over-cluttered. This one starts with a rant about punctuation. Don’t worry, you can always scroll to the NEWS ROUNDUP at the bottom of the page.

Here goes . . .

There is a pain — so utter —
It swallows substance up —
Then covers the Abyss with Trance —
So Memory can step
Around — across — opon [sic] it —
As One within a Swoon —
Goes safely — where an open eye —
Would drop Him — Bone by Bone —

Emily Dickinson, “There is a pain — so utter —”

If Emily Dickinson used twelve em dashes in a single verse of poetry in 2025, she might be accused of using AI to write it. Em dashes are punctuation marks whose reputation has recently been ruined.

Why are they so great?

The em dash is one of the most useful punctuation marks, because it gives writers freedom to shape a sentence’s rhythm and emphasis. It can stand in for commas, colons, or parentheses, but it carries a sharper edge and a bit more drama.

Where a comma creates only a light pause, an em dash marks a stronger break in thought, making the interruption more noticeable. Compare He brought his sister, his brother, and his cousin with He brought his sister—his only true friend—his brother, and his cousin. The dashes pull attention to the aside in a way commas would not.

Colons, by contrast, are formal tools for introducing something directly: She had one goal: win. Replace that colon with an em dash and the tone shifts to something less stiff, more dramatic: She had one goal—win.

Parentheses tuck information away quietly: He gave her the keys (though reluctantly). With em dashes the aside jumps forward instead of shrinking back: He gave her the keys—though reluctantly.

In short, commas keep a sentence flowing, colons organise, and parentheses whisper. The em dash interrupts, emphasises, and adds energy. It is useful because it allows a writer to adjust tone and pacing instantly, strengthening sentences that might otherwise feel flat or cluttered.

What ruined them?

Personally, I have always been a fan of the judicious use of em dashes in my writing. I have, however, seen people who declare they are an automatic signal of AI authorship.

There are several potential signals of AI authorship, and liberal use of em dashes is only one of many. Perhaps it is the most easily spotted, so people have come to rely on them as irrefutable evidence, accusing authors who dare to use them of “cheating with AI”!

Some authors, so I understand, are now scared to use em dashes at all!

It would be a pity to dump this punctuation mark—illogical too, (see what I did there), because it is so easy to instruct any LLM to avoid using em dashes. Which means em dashes are not reliable signs of AI authorship.

So, all you authors out there who love little emmies, I hope you keep using them. I certainly will. :)

News Roundup

Here’s your Weekly Sci-fi / Fantasy / Romance Roundup, covering the freshest stories from the last seven days (i.e., late August to early September 2025):

Film & TVScience Fiction

"Somnium" (feature debut by Racheal Cain)

This digital sci‑fi release (available from 8 September 2025) follows an actor‑turned‑“sleep‑sitter” overseeing dream‑injection therapy. Critics praise Chloë Levine’s performance but find the film overly derivative, recalling influences like Eternal Sunshine and Mulholland Drive. Released on digital platforms, the film receives mixed reviews for lacking originality.

Sci‑Fi / Romance

"All of You" (Apple TV+ & select theaters, 26 September 2025)

A sci‑fi romance starring Brett Goldstein and Imogen Poots. The plot centers on college-best friends when a futuristic soulmate test tells Laura that her perfect match isn’t Simon, forcing both to reassess their bond. Co-written and directed by William Bridges, the film holds an 83% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Fantasy / Sci‑Fi

Animated adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’s Barsoom novels

A fresh animated series based on A Princess of Mars is in development, returning to the beloved classic after Disney's failed 2012 live-action attempt. No release date yet.

Books & PublishingRomance / Sci‑Fi

"The Love Hypothesis" adaptation update

Ali Hazelwood’s viral romance (once fanfic) gains new traction with a film adaptation starring Lili Reinhart as Olive and Tom Bateman as Adam. Directed by Claire Scanlon, production details remain under wraps, though excitement is high.

Romantasy / Fantasy

"Dire Bound" by Sable Sorensen

This self‑published romantasy debut, blending direwolves, vampires, and fantasy warfare, exploded via BookTok/Instagram, earning a seven-figure deal with Hachette and interest from 17 foreign publishers within 90 days. The sequel, Fury Bound, has been delayed and is now slated for May (presumably 2026).

General Sci‑Fi & Fantasy

New novels spotlight

These Memories Do Not Belong to Us (set in future China with memory-storing tech), The Mad Sisters of Esi (surreal cosmic-fantasy with sisters in dreamlike realms), and The Midnight Shift (a horror-tinged fantasy featuring a vampire at a rehab center) are reviewed as inventive, emotionally complex, and thematically resonant picks.

Farewell for now,

x Cecilia

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