Stop! Back Away from the
Exclamation Point! Yes, it’s a point of contention with me. I get aggravated
over exclamation points. I never much liked this punctuation mark. I think it’s
my least favorite unless you count an improper use of the semicolons. Now,
properly used semicolons are a great form of style; they must be used correctly, though.
Exclamation Point! Yes, it’s a point of contention with me. I get aggravated
over exclamation points. I never much liked this punctuation mark. I think it’s
my least favorite unless you count an improper use of the semicolons. Now,
properly used semicolons are a great form of style; they must be used correctly, though.
The same is true with the
exclamation point.
exclamation point.
Why, you might ask, do I have a
problem with a seemingly harmless line with a dot at the bottom? Very simply:
the exclamation point is a mark of punctuation that indicates your character is
yelling, screaming, squealing, angry, scared to death, and a few other
instances where talking loudly might be the norm. For example, if I’m in a car
on a two-lane highway, and a semi-truck has crossed the line over into my lane,
I’m not going to whisper, “Look out.” No, extreme fear is going to take over,
and the scream will come from the brain, traveling through my nervous system
and explode from my mouth. “Look out!”
problem with a seemingly harmless line with a dot at the bottom? Very simply:
the exclamation point is a mark of punctuation that indicates your character is
yelling, screaming, squealing, angry, scared to death, and a few other
instances where talking loudly might be the norm. For example, if I’m in a car
on a two-lane highway, and a semi-truck has crossed the line over into my lane,
I’m not going to whisper, “Look out.” No, extreme fear is going to take over,
and the scream will come from the brain, traveling through my nervous system
and explode from my mouth. “Look out!”
Unless my character is a hyped-up
annoying teenager, conversations, no matter how exciting, do not contain
screaming or yelling. If my character is excited about something, they aren’t
going to be screaming, “I can’t believe it! We’re going to the mall!” Likewise,
it is a very rare occasion when I have an inner thought that makes me scream at
myself. An exception to this rule might be when I hit my thumb with a hammer.
Yeah, then I might be screaming a little at my stupidity.
annoying teenager, conversations, no matter how exciting, do not contain
screaming or yelling. If my character is excited about something, they aren’t
going to be screaming, “I can’t believe it! We’re going to the mall!” Likewise,
it is a very rare occasion when I have an inner thought that makes me scream at
myself. An exception to this rule might be when I hit my thumb with a hammer.
Yeah, then I might be screaming a little at my stupidity.
When exclamations are peppered
throughout a manuscript, the story wears out the reader. They might feel as if
they’ve been called into the boss’s office for something akin to blowing up the
chemical lab at work. All the yelling and screaming gives your readers headaches.
throughout a manuscript, the story wears out the reader. They might feel as if
they’ve been called into the boss’s office for something akin to blowing up the
chemical lab at work. All the yelling and screaming gives your readers headaches.
When self-editing your work, look
for areas where exclamation points are unnecessary. With very few exceptions,
one or two exclamation points in a manuscript will do. I will admit that as an
author, I did have an editor argue with me over a scene in one of my works. She
claimed that a mother cheering her son on during his Little League game did
call for an exclamation mark. Of course, she was right.
for areas where exclamation points are unnecessary. With very few exceptions,
one or two exclamation points in a manuscript will do. I will admit that as an
author, I did have an editor argue with me over a scene in one of my works. She
claimed that a mother cheering her son on during his Little League game did
call for an exclamation mark. Of course, she was right.
There are other circumstances
where a character may be prone to yelling what they say. I’ve encountered that
situation in a recently edited book. The child was autistic and sometimes
excitable. Not to include exclamation points in most of his conversations would
take away from the character.
where a character may be prone to yelling what they say. I’ve encountered that
situation in a recently edited book. The child was autistic and sometimes
excitable. Not to include exclamation points in most of his conversations would
take away from the character.
The point that is being made here is to use exclamations sparingly and
for emphasis. By the way, using all such punctuation (semicolons, colons, em
dashes, and ellipses) sparingly and for emphasis is the mark of style. Overuse
of any of the above, a mark of rejection.
for emphasis. By the way, using all such punctuation (semicolons, colons, em
dashes, and ellipses) sparingly and for emphasis is the mark of style. Overuse
of any of the above, a mark of rejection.
Happy editing.
