Localization problems The usage of the emdash is different in different countries In Poland we have many long dashes and they have spaces around Some kind of long dashes whether emdashes or another kind of simmilar length is also used to separate dialogs in prose   How are you  I asked him   I am  he said with some hesitation  fine  In German books I read there were single quotes and commas  I am he said fine  When using emdashes for dialogs one can not embed a pause into the characters words but instead an ellipsis could be placed   I am fine  Emdashes are acceptable in plays drama  HAMLET  To be  or  not to  be  Because there is no narration  a drama is simply a long dialog with some comments  When it comes to aesthetics  most people probably prefer what they are used to  It is simmilar to source code indentation wars however when already consistently used some styles may be supreme to others