How To Use Semicolons in Fiction Writing

Why do so many writers fear the semicolon? The poor, misunderstood semicolon? It isn’t its fault that it’s so widely misused. It didn’t ask for any of this. So, please spare a thought for this simple, uncomplicated punctuation mark…

Because it really is simple and it can transform your writing.

There is only one rule for using the semicolon to punctuate a sentence:

The clauses on either side of the semicolon must be able to exist as sentences in their own right.

That’s it. That’s the big scary rule…

For example, this sentence:

The man drove slowly across the bridge; it was raining and the road was slippery.

Could easily have been written as two sentences:

The man drove slowly across the bridge. It was raining and the road was slippery.

But there are articles about the correct use of semicolons all over the internet. So, instead of simply adding another one, I want to talk about how they can be of use to fiction writers.