... The Final Frontier

All the geeks are making a Star Trek reference, & so I know that you’ve filled in the blank. Space.
In a way, it’s the last thing that people think about when they write. Most people think about the words, then how they’re arranged (sentence structure), then the sum of the words (composition & meaning), then sometimes the selection (vocabulary) or presentation (grammar & spelling), but very little time is spent on the not-words.

The not-words are everything else that goes into good communication - the pauses, the non-verbal cues, the speed & fluency of delivery, the tone, accent, volume, … & I could go on. In writing, we try to emulate some of these, or else represent them when writing about speech, but most people tend to forget about them when theyr’e writing ‘formal’ or ‘technical’ communication. Why is that?

The most important not-words are punctuation, & sentence structure & grouping. The latter is all about having a good, or appropriate, style & putting structure into what you write. The former, however, is a black hole which many are afraid will drag them into another dimension, so it’s best to avoid.

Don’t be afraid of that dark spot in the field of stars that is your communication. It will not suck you in. Punctuation is necessary to keep the universe interesting. The space between the stars is what allows us to differentiate them, to make patterns in our head, to give meaning to the little clusters of light.

Writing is often gaseous - it expands to fill the void (page). But stars only have so much power inside them - they can only be so big before they either burn themselves out too quickly, or else become too thin to see. An essay - the height of writing - is complete when nothing else can be removed. This leaves spaces.

I like punctuation. I like to more than pepper my sentences, I like a good dose of salt across each line to show where I think the audience should pause for thought or for a breath, or in readiness for a new idea. Punctuation fills the gaps with space. I know that sounds a little self-evident, but it shows how a sky full of stars is only enhanced by the gaps between. It shows how exploring such a galaxy on a page is only more interesting for the distances that need to be travelled. It shows how new discoveries can be made only when the effort to find a new path across the words makes the journey prohibitive or difficult for ordinary people.
Readers appreciate a good journey. Writers should provide one through the application of space. Let the reader boldly go where no readership has gone before.

PS. I like to boldly split infinitives when I can on the basis that just because it’s ‘impossible’ in Latin, there is no reason why it shouldn’t happen in English. I specifically avoided talking about this area, given the cultural references, because it would have muddied my theme. I’ll have to somehow find space to talk more about this some other time.