Writing It Right: That Tempting Exclamation Point
by Carolynn Carey
Halt! Wait! Think!
Do you really need that exclamation point? And the one right before it? And the one that occurs in your following sentence?
As a writer, I have to admit that exclamation points are tempting. After all, we want our readers to appreciate the importance of our characters’ utterances. And what better way than to end their dialogue with an exclamation point? Right? Right!
The problem with exclamation points is that if we use them too often, the darn little things become almost meaningless. Of course we can always add a few more. Right? Right!!!!!
Or not.
So what should the enthusiastic writer do? In trying to answer this question, I consulted the experts. H. W. Fowler is quoted as saying about the exclamation point: “An excessive use of exclamation marks is a certain indication of an unpractised writer or of one who wants to add a spurious dash of sensation to something unsensational.”
Ouch!
And in Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Renni Browne and Dave King say:
“Exclamation points should be reserved for moments when a character is physically shouting (or experiencing the mental equivalent). When you use them frequently, you begin to look as if you are trying desperately to infuse your dialogue or narration with an excitement it lacks.”
Strunk and White, in The Elements of Style, say simply, “Do not attempt to emphasize simple statements by using a mark of exclamation. The exclamation mark is to be reserved for use after true exclamations and commands.”
So what does this mean for whose of us who are writers? I can’t speak for you, but I’ve discovered that I have to watch my writing carefully, combing it in search of those sneaky little exclamation marks that have a tendency to creep into my characters’ dialogue, apparently in an effort to make their speech appear more important than it really is.
Then it’s time to cut, cut, cut. However tempting it may be to end a statement with an exclamation point, if the mark is not necessary, leave it out. A simple period may be all you need and may, if fact, save you from appearing to be, as Fowler said, “an unpractised writer” who adds spurious dashes of sensation.
And you don’t want that!
Copyright © Carolynn Carey.
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