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TheCheshireCody t1_j8nwxle wrote

Reply to comment by cox_ph in TIL that the phrase "It was a dark and stormy night" was the opening line to an actual novel published in 1830, but runs on for another 51 words: "It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents — except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which..." by dylancatlow

The two can be used interchangeably to a degree, but an em-dash more effectively serves as an interjection into a sentence. Usually that interjection is sandwiched between two parts of the sentence, but it doesn't have to be.

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