Are dotted lines open to interpretation?
There are thousands of ways to write as everyone has his own style of writing. Like me, most of the people sit down at their word processor – now a day at computer or laptop – and expect to write in one sitting. It takes hardly five minutes to write and edit just on crafting the first sentence to start with. Then the move is on to the next paragraphs which come automatically on the continuity of the idea or plot already made in the mind.
After finalizing the write-up, one can apply the method of design depending upon the purpose of writing – professional, individual, or for personal backups.
Sometime back, there was no trend of putting the gaps while writing with dashes or dots and each sentence was properly written. While it helped in maintaining the length of the write-ups, there also used to be clarity in thoughts to understand as to what the writer wants to convey or say from the core of his mind.
Instead of using commas, now the trend of using dash while writing just to clear the abbreviated words or to complete the thought in the sentence, by making addition between the dash depending upon the subject one is writing.
But I had never used the dotted lines to leave it for the readers to interpret or judge as per the situation of the subject matter or from writer’s point of view.
The other day, I had gone through the news clipping of 1969 – but there was no mention of the title of the newspaper – but the reporter has quoted the use of dotted lines by the writer with his viewpoint that dotted lines are open to interpretation.
In fact, what I have felt while reading the writing of various persons that dotted lines in the notes signifies the unsaid. Meaning thereby, what cannot be said are left blank with dotted lines which signify the unsaid, unspoken, implicit, tacit or unstated.
Anyhow, I too have observed that while writing in a flow, one can put dotted lines, where you are short of words or thoughts, to fill up later on. While this method gives you a time to write in a flow by focusing on the particular plot, with enough quantity which you can later on edit – as the first draft are mostly terrible – and present with the improved quality.
The dotted lines are definitely super attention-grabbing. The dotted lines convey a sense of uncertainty which could be useful but it is also a challenge, as to whether the right message will go or not. Another point is that when there is a target or goal, there is uncertainty to depict – a forecast or prediction. In these cases, the sense of uncertainty is helped with the dotted lines.
Frankly speaking, but I took a special notice of ‘dotted lines’ when someone – female friend – sent me a text message as “I L… You” and put me in a very awkward situation as to whether I should take it as I like you or love you. I am still in untidiness as to what I should take to mean the dotted lines; Anyhow the dotted lines are definitely open to one’s interpretation.