Exclamation Point Limit
We all know an exclamation point is this nifty little symbol: ! Exclamation points are used at the end of a sentence to indicate enthusiasm, surprise, urgency, or other strong feelings such as happiness and anger.
In dialogue it can be used when a character is cheering or shouting. A single word can also be followed by an exclamation point like: Oh! Congratulations! Hurry! Help!
Exclamation points don’t have to be used all the time to express exciting emotions, though. Vivid descriptions can be just as effective. You can show your characters in a fight, tell your readers that their voices are growing louder. Using detailed dialogue tags is another option.
With that said, someone once told me a rule she heard: Only use 10 exclamation points per manuscript. One writer actually said not to use them AT ALL because they add nothing. I've even read in a grammar book that they should be avoided wherever possible.
Exclamation points shouldn’t be used haphazardly. However, I personally find it limiting to reduce the exclamation points in our books to 10 or less. First, who has the time to count them? Not I! Second, if they are spaced out, a reader won’t even notice them if they are warranted.Third, 10 seems like an awfully small number when you consider a full manuscript complete with action scenes and dialogue. And not use them at all? Then why do they exist, I wonder?
Some writers may not use exclamation points, but I do. All I can say is to follow the rules that make sense to you and ignore the ones that don’t. You have that right! (Exclamation point.) *wink*
QUESTIONS: Do you count your exclamation points? Do you remember this episode of Seinfeld?
In dialogue it can be used when a character is cheering or shouting. A single word can also be followed by an exclamation point like: Oh! Congratulations! Hurry! Help!
Exclamation points don’t have to be used all the time to express exciting emotions, though. Vivid descriptions can be just as effective. You can show your characters in a fight, tell your readers that their voices are growing louder. Using detailed dialogue tags is another option.
With that said, someone once told me a rule she heard: Only use 10 exclamation points per manuscript. One writer actually said not to use them AT ALL because they add nothing. I've even read in a grammar book that they should be avoided wherever possible.
Exclamation points shouldn’t be used haphazardly. However, I personally find it limiting to reduce the exclamation points in our books to 10 or less. First, who has the time to count them? Not I! Second, if they are spaced out, a reader won’t even notice them if they are warranted.Third, 10 seems like an awfully small number when you consider a full manuscript complete with action scenes and dialogue. And not use them at all? Then why do they exist, I wonder?
Some writers may not use exclamation points, but I do. All I can say is to follow the rules that make sense to you and ignore the ones that don’t. You have that right! (Exclamation point.) *wink*
QUESTIONS: Do you count your exclamation points? Do you remember this episode of Seinfeld?
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