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"..." is called an ellipsis. Use them if you must, but don't... depend on them.
Use an ellipsis when...
👉 there's an unnatural pause before a word. If someone is speaking, and it's not obvious they pause based upon the context, use an ellipsis. Generally, DON'T use it if you've already mentioned the person stutters, takes pauses, or is struggling for words. You're duplicating the idea.
But as we've said before, don't be too controlling about this. Sometimes, it's best to forget about the way you imagine it and let your reader do it. Don't baby them. Engage them.
👉 someone trails off. If a character is talking, but they suddenly just...
This does not include what I like to call the "manga ellipsis." The manga ellipsis is when a character ends in a mutter like, "I just can't do this..." Sure, their voice might fade a little bit as they say this in quiet desperation, but notice how it's not actually an incomplete sentence like our "trailing off" example? Keep the manga ellipses at a minimum, especially if you're not emulating a manga-style.
Also, be aware, you CAN use an ellipsis in narration, even if it's a third-person narrator, but use it only when necessary. Here is an example...
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A rabbit leapt over the lion, and the lion over the goat, and the goat over the bridge. The bridge was old and beneath it lived a troll named Daryl. Daryl was an angry troll, and he wanted those cakes. He wanted them badly. So he took the cakes, all fifty of them, five tens. It was awful...
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The above is a dream. The ellipsis nicely splits the dream from reality that follows.
Also, as I mentioned in an earlier chapter, an ellipsis has three periods only, always.
Got it? Perfect...
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