Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Sex and the Semicolon

As I sit in my favorite black, leather writing chair, sipping on a glass of Sonoma...(hold on..checking, checking....Oh, sorry, the wine is actually from Oregon's Willamete Valley. No offense NoCal) white tonight, I ponder over everything I've read, touched, or viewed today. I can feel the sexiness of the semicolon firing synapses from my brain down to my finger tips again.

Ahhh... the semicolon. It's s one of my favorite forms of puncuation. The semicolon is racy and seductive...a real bad boy, with an aversion to commitment.

Who doesn't like a bad boy every now and again, right? It's just more good reason to embrace our punctuation friend, and the love of my grammar life, the semicolon.

It's no surprise to anyone that has read my work prior to it's final edit that I am a semicolon junkie. I know I over fucking use the semicolon. I think I might have been bitten by the semicolon love bug though. Too many good semicolon orgasms to forget.

Using the semicolon is similar to a trial separation: It's not a divorce, but it's not sleeping in the same bed 24/7 either. There's a semicolon in between the relationship. It's not as loose as the comma, but it's not as severe as the final period.

The semicolon's use is to separate two independent clauses... that are related to one another. Or, you use the semicolon to separate three or more items. For example: I was completely out of batteries for my vaginal vibrator, clitoral pocket rocket; vibrating anal beads; bzzzz cock ring and...well, you get the idea, right?

There are some that argue the use of the semicolon isn't a bad boy at all, but instead a base, prissy, girly-girl form of punctuation and well, I'm sure there are those that would say it's over-used. No counter from me on the latter. There are those that would say the semicolon should die a slow death too. Gasp! Inflicting pain on the love of my punctuation life...no, no, say it isn't so. Or referring to my semantics lover as a girly-girl is a bit sexist and well, ouch...painful. Actually those remarks are probably stemmed from fear: Knowing the prowess of their writing just isn't strong enough to withstand the natural, sultry heat of the semicolon.

For me, I recognize the lethal powerhouse of punctuation pleasure the semicolon has to offer. I'd rather not have my prose shy away from this hot companion. It's been said that love is blind. I use the semicolon in more ways than I should, I suppose, but deep down inside, I know and accept the semicolon's sex appeal lies in the simple fact that the semicolon is, well, just commitment phobic and sometimes that's just sexy.

Ciao
Neve

p.s. The magnet above can be purchased here.

6 comments:

Craig Sorensen said...

Yay Neve!

I am a lover of the semicolon too!

From time to time, I've had a carefully placed semicolon removed by an editor; it breaks my heart.

Craig

Neve Black said...

Hi Craig,
I know. My friend and editor sent me the article from article yesterday. He titled the e-mail: Thinking of you. So touching.

Hmmm...I wonder if we could have an entire erotic series based on our love affairs with punctuation?

Anonymous said...

I prefer to use the semicolon on my terms though, not when spell check thinks I need to. Since I am no expert on grammer and language, one may deduce that after talking with me, my use of the semicolon would be in loose, slutty way.

Neve Black said...

Hunter,
So good to hear from you. It's been awhile.

Having excellent grammar useage or not, I think the semicolon is the punctuation mark that keeps us lewd, slutty types connected. :-)

Anonymous said...

Also good to read your stories. I find that when I get a chance to click the bookmark I have saved just for you, it is hard to close the window; I find myself absorbed in your tales.

Neve Black said...

Nice use, there Hunter. Very well done. The semicolon tends to bring out the wild child in all of us.

Thanks for the compliment, too.