In his blog post The Great Semi-Colon Debate, author James Scott Bell says that semicolons should be avoided in fiction. I agree to a point, but I wouldn’t ban them altogether. If used skillfully, semicolons can reveal character in dialogue and internal monologue.
In my own fiction writing, I associate certain punctuation marks with the speech patterns of certain personality types. These aren’t hard rules, of course. But here’s my list of punctuation marks and the personality types that go with them.
Semicolons: INPs
INFPs and INTPs communicate with the world through extraverted intuition. Intuition naturally sees all ideas as connected. But as introverts, the INPs think before they speak. This combination of tendencies leads to sentences that are long but carefully constructed; the semicolon is the best punctuation mark to communicate this quality.
Comma splices: ENPs
A comma splice is an ungrammatical use of the comma to separate two independent clauses without the benefit of a conjunction. This use of punctuation best captures the rapid, unruly flow of ideas of the ENFPs and ENTPs. Unlike their introverted cousins, ENPs use their extraverted intuition to think out loud, one thought leading to another, with no time for conjunctions or breaks in sentences.
Dashes: NFJs
ENFJs and INFJs communicate with the outside world using extraverted feeling aided by intuition. When their values are engaged, they speak passionately, their voices rising in a crescendo. Dashes communicate movement and building tension—a hallmark of these types.
Commas: SFJs
The ESFJs and ISFJs also communicate using extraverted feeling, but with a preference for sensing. Sensing types see information as discrete, so their ideas don’t bump wildly into one another. Commas help express the community-oriented nature of the SFJs but also their desire for control.
Ellipses: SFPs
Like their SFJ cousins, the ESFPs and ISFPs see information as discrete. Yet their communication is more open-ended. One idea sort of trails off…and then another pops up in its place. The ellipsis captures the sense of flow of a dash or a comma splice, but not the sense of connectedness. It’s the perfect choice for SFP characters when used sparingly.
Periods: TJs and STPs
These practical types don’t have time for long sentences. They’re direct and honest. They focus on facts, not feelings. Their expression is short and sweet. (Or at least, short.)
Keep in mind that personality type is a natural tendency, not a limitation. Under stress, even an ENTJ might feel indecisive enough to use an ellipsis. Use punctuation with intent—and with care—to add spice to your writing.
How do you use punctuation to convey character in fiction or other creative writing? Leave a comment!
Related posts:
Writing Personalities
ENFJ – ENFP – ENTJ – ENTP – ESFJ –ESFP – ESTJ –ESTP
INFJ – INFP – INTJ – INTP – ISFJ – ISFP – ISTJ – ISTP
Write with Personality 
Ha! Fascinating! I’m an INFP; I do indeed use the semi-colon freely and communicate in winding sentences — but then, I also love the dash. 😉
I think most writers love the dash. That seems to be the consensus in the comments to Bell’s blog post. The dash is the most versatile punctuation mark—it makes a good substitute for a semicolon when you want to keep the reader moving forward.
We INTJs are short and to the point, but since we’re introverts, we keep our short, pithy comments to ourselves.
Good insight, Andrea. It was a fun read.
Glad you enjoyed the article, Jay. INTJs aren’t much for small talk, and I’ve observed that they often don’t say anything unless they’ve got something clever to say. Even then, they may be unwilling to share unless they feel comfortable with their audience. Since INTJs notice incongruity but also make connections between disparate things, their sense of humor tends toward the absurd. Some people don’t “get” them, which can reinforce their natural reticence. It’s a shame, because they can be extremely funny. Here’s an example of what I’m talking about:
http://intjcentral.com/manual1
Interesting post, thank you. I’ve never sat to think about how the sentences I construct, both in written and spoken word, reflect my personality.
Question: did you mean discrete instead of discreet?
Thanks for catching that typo (I used “discrete” the first time but “discreet” the second). I fixed the post.