[stylist] (no subject)

[Classemt at aol.com]

Hey gang is there a conference call Sunday night? can  anyone send me the 
Number Angela N.J.
 
 
In a message dated 4/25/2013 11:48:49 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
penatwork at epix.net writes:

Bridgit,
Interesting. I actually detest the "all caps" solution.  I am currently 
going
through the manuscript again with exclamation points  in mind. In the print
book design stage, I will have another opportunity in  a few weeks to submit
any revisions, so I took Chris's suggestion to heart.  

At first, I thought I'd just strip them out altogether. However, as I  read
my work I realized a couple of things. First of all, I wasn't using  them as
a replacement for using words. I haven't added a single word, and  I'm 
almost
through. The other thing is that I am developing a certain  sensibility 
about
how to use them. Part of my punctuation preferences are,  for better or
worse, informed by how a passage sounds with Jaws.  In  dialog, I have a
cadense in mind, and though I suppose I could keep it to  myself and allow
the reader free rein to interpret it, I can't fully bring  myself to do it.
It's like the question mark. Do we really need to tell the  reader that this
or that is a question? Why don't we just use periods and  let them have the
freedom to assume it's a retorical question, if they  like? 

I have removed most of them, but I have deliberately left some  which I feel
do add something. I'm going to check afterwards to see what  percentage of
them I kept. One example of a way in which I chose to use  them was in a
scene where a kindergarten class got a bit out of hand. As  the children
begin talking and then arguing with each other, I dropped the  use of dialog
tags in order to lend an intensity and speed to the dialog.  It isn't
necessary to know which child said what. However, if every  sentence ends in
a period, it is not clear that the writer expects the  reader to presume an
escalation of the argument. So, I used a couple near  the end of that dialog
string.

I still can't believe that your  professor thinks all caps are OK. That last
sentence should, if it were to  truly reflect how astounded I am at this
moment, end with an exclamation  point. I know it's done, but to me that is
far more of a distraction  visually than any punctuation mark could possibly
be.

I have done a  lot of thinking about this, and I believe we have Madison
Avenue to blame  for the maligning of a mark which has served writers well
for many years.  The exclamation point is seen by people who have become
oversensatized to  it as the written equivalent of the laugh track. In each
case, it seems  like the consumer is being told how to feel. I agree that it
is over-used,  and I admit that -- despite my opinion that I didn't do that
-- I am as  guilty as hell. Nevertheless, I think it has its place.
Donna  

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist  [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Bridgit
Pollpeter
Sent:  Wednesday, April 24, 2013 5:59 PM
To: stylist at nfbnet.org
Subject:  [stylist] Exclamation points

Donna,

Thanks for this  info.

In my writing classes, we were strongly advised against the use  of
exclamation points. We were taught to do something to make an  exclamation
clear either with some visual display such as all-caps and  bolding or 
within
the narration. And we were taught that a statement that's  clearly an
exclamation doesn't require an actual exclamation point since  it's obvious;
like watch out or hurray. I had one instructor who would take  points off 
for
using them.

When editing, one of the first things I  look for are exclamation points.
It's amazing how frequently they are used  even when the text doesn't have a
reason to do  so.

Bridgit
Message: 6
Date: Tue, 23 Apr 2013 22:09:40  -0400
From: "Donna Hill" <penatwork at epix.net>
To: "'Writer's  Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Subject: [stylist]  Exclamation points
Message-ID:  <C2953F9C86E648F387F144030540FA66 at OwnerHP>
Content-Type:  text/plain;    charset="us-ascii"

Hi Friends,
After Chris's comment on the chapter of my new book which I  posted for the
fantasy prompt, I looked more closely at my manuscript and  was horrified at
how many exclamation points I actually used. For me, it is  mostly a dialog
thing, and I could probably justify most of them, were it  not for the 
simple
fact that people who are awake and whose opinions I  respect have become
ultrasensative about them -- in part, I believe,  because of the horrors of
advertising, personal e-mails and texts.  

The question is, "how much is too much?" So I went a-Googling and  found the
following article from the Atlantic Wire (Sept. 2012). The  article follows
the URL . Enjoy,  Donna
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/entertainment/2012/09/plea-self-control-r
egar
ding-exclamation-point/57201/
Block  quote
A Plea for Self-Control Regarding the Exclamation Point - Jen Doll -  The
Atlantic Wire

Jen Doll 

As we gathered punctuation  favorites from a range of our favorite writers,
novelists, and  word-knowledgable people, we ran into a cold, hard fact. 
Some
punctuation  marks were hated, perhaps none more vehemently than the
exclamation point.  It was a mark hated most of all, among those we spoke 
to,
by Grantland  staff writer Rembert Browne.
Browne asked, "Am I allowed to write a note  about why ! is the worst thing
in the culture of the Western Hemisphere?"  Given that earlier this year we
declared the exclamation point as in many  ways representative of an entire
zeitgeist, even the mark of the year, we  figured we had to give Browne's
countering view some time in the sun. (One  of our commenters has called the
proliferation of that allegedly foul mark  an "American issue" even as our
own Rebecca Greenfield has tried to help us  all cope and, for the love of
God!, tone it down a little.) Herewith, on  National Punctuation Day,
Browne's plea for restraint in a time of great  punctuation excesses:

Hate is a strong word, one unfortunately overused  to describe things that
should probably be labeled as simply dislike or  despise. With that said, I
would be lying if I described my feelings toward  seeing an exclamation mark
as loathe or not a fan of. The hate in my heart  for the most misused, 
overly
used piece of punctuation is very real, and I  couldn't be prouder, seeing 
as
that it might be the only thing I truly  stand for.

In 10th grade, as a response to the most recent assignment  of 5-paragraph
personal essays answering the gem of a prompt, "talk about  one important
thing of your summer," my English teacher began the class  with the single
most important lesson I learned in high school: "From here  on out, you only
get seven exclamation marks in your life, so use them  wisely." I was
floored. At that point in my life, I had yet to deal with  anything that
long-term. This was my Aladdin/three wishes moment. I was  nervous, but also
excited. 

Fast-forward to present day. Nine years  have passed since this statement 
was
made and I have 5 more exclamation  marks left.* Is this directly in 
response
to the wise words from my former  teacher, the woman who essentially taught
me how to write? In some ways  yes, but in my adult, working-world years my
refusal to use them (and true  hatred of seeing them scattered about) comes
from the unfortunate fact that  they're used so lazily and carelessly,
whenever something moderately good  or bad happens. The point of punctuation
once actually meant something, but  due to the culture of using them as
frequently as inhales and exhales,  they've become the grammatical "boy who
cried wolf." No one is actually as  consistently excitable as their
exclamation mark usage suggests, but there  will come a time when a person 
is
attempting to convey true, unadulterated  joy ("She said yes!" or "It's a
boy!" or "I won one of those raffles to  have dinner with Barack and
Michelle!") and to me, because of the person's  unfortunate exclamation 
track
record, it'll read the same as "I overslept  so hard last night!!!!" or
"Hey!" or simply "!!!!!!!!"

Having spoken  to people who are chronic users (yes, I mean for this to 
sound
like a drug  habit, because you people are exclamation junkies), most admit
that they  know they overuse it, but in this world where so many
conversations and  relationships exist via typing, they feel it's the only
way to come off as  excited and grateful, especially when dealing in work
settings. This is  worrisome, because it's almost as if we've given up on
attempting to  construct sentences, with words, that convey true happiness
and instead  simply cop out with the exclamation mark. This is bad, people.
Real bad.  

It's not too late to start down the path of "seven exclamation  marks."
Yes, some of you are deep in the game, but your condition is not  incurable.
No one is a lost cause. As rapper turned method-actor Clifford  "T.I." 
Harris
stated in the film ATL, "I believe in you even when you're  too stupid to
believe in your damn self." Know that I'm here for you. I'm  tired of
fighting this battle alone and, above all else, I care.  

Upon receipt of this rant we wrote back to Browne using no fewer than  7
exclamation points and a deep awareness of the fact that we are part of  the
problem and not the solution. We will do better. We will try. Even if  it
kills us. (!)

*Browne's two exclamation uses so far appeared in a  mass email following 
his
high school graduation and in a long email to his  thesis advisor, he told
us, after he found he was graduating because she'd  passed him. Who will get
the remaining marks? "I think my first kid will  get one (if there are
additional, probably not), wedding maybe, and then  who knows,"
he says. "Lottery? Maybe paying off school loans gets two? Who  knows, I've
got like 100 more years and only 5 more. Got to pace  myself."


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