Is your character confused? Uneasy? Searching for the right word? Distracted? Drifting into thought?
You can show that emotion by using the ellipsis in your character’s speech:
- “Well … I thought this was the right … I don’t … Maybe we should have turned at the light back there.”
- “If it wasn’t him, then it must have been … Oh no.”
Maybe your character has an abrupt change in thought while speaking. The em dash can make your character’s voice come alive:
- “I thought he—heck, all of them, really—would jump at the chance to help.”
Or interrupts herself with a strong point:
- “No wonder Estelle—that witch—left in such a hurry.”
Or maybe your character’s dialogue is interrupted by her own action or emotion:
- “I couldn’t”—Susan bit her bottom lip and looked down—“tell him the truth.”
Or interrupted by another character:
- “I was at the office,” he said. “I didn’t think—”
“You never think, do you? Not about me.”
Note: The em dash goes outside quotation marks when related to an action. It stays within the quotation marks when the character is interrupted by someone.