 Comedy: December 01, 2021 Issue [#11095] |
This week: It’s a Mark!!! Get the Point? Edited by: Lornda  
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"In almost all situations that do not involve immediate physical danger or great surprise, you should think twice before using an exclamation mark. If you have thought twice and the exclamation mark is still there, think about it three times, or however many times it takes until you delete it."
~Howard Mittelmark - Author
"Cut out all these exclamation points. An exclamation point is like laughing at your own joke."
~F. Scott Fitzgerald - American Novelist
"Use exclamation marks sparingly! It's like wearing underpants on your head."
~Terry Pratchett - Author
 Learn some quirky facts about the dreaded exclamation point.
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One symbol of punctuation is the quirkiest of them all. In fact, it’s so quirky, that it had many names over the years and currently, it can be spelled two different ways depending on where you live. What is this strange and controversial symbol? It’s the exclamation point, or wait – is it an exclamation mark? If you’re using American English, it’s a point, and British English it's a mark.
Over the years, the name of the exclamation point has been referred to by some quirky words:
Bang
Ecphoneme
Screamer
Shriek mark
Gasper
Startler
Eroteme
Pling
No matter what it’s been called since the beginning of time to today, the exclamation point has been controversial. Scholars and writers hate its existence, and the debate about it on the internet sends it into frenzy when the topic is posted. How did this mess even start? No one really knows, but there are theories floating around that involve going way back in time to the Middle Ages.
Medieval copyists used the Latin word io which means an exclamation of joy and wrote it at the end of a sentence. Over time, the i moved above the o. The o became smaller and smaller until it was a dot. In 1892, the controversial punctuation symbol was born. It was undervalued for a long time, until there was some kind of a yippee-skippy moment of, “Good grief! We need an exclamation point on a manual typewriter.” The key finally made an appearance in 1970. Imagine being a typist of the pre non-exclamation point. She would type a period first, then backspace and put an apostrophe above it. How barbaric!
Fast forward into today’s standards, and it becomes even more barbaric. American Novelist, Elmore Leonard states that there should only be a “maximum 2-3 per 100,000 words”. The buzz around the internet explains that if you use too many, it’s considered poor writing and will distract the reader. It should be used when essential or when taken from a direct quote. In formal and semi-formal writing, it should be rarely used. At least, there are no pre-set rules for texts and email. Exclamation points away, everyone!
Since this quirky symbol is controversial, as writers we should all band together and change the rules to one simple one. We don’t care !!!!!!!!!
 If you struggle with too many exclamation points in your writing, here's a comical chart to help you decide when to delete them. Make sure you follow it. 
"A fun flowchart to help eliminate the exclamation point"
 For a laugh, check out this snippet from Seinfeld about the usage of an exclamation point.
Seinfeld - Elaine & Boyfriend
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 Do you overuse exclamation points? Are they a distraction while reading?
 Feedback from my last newsletter, "The Runaway Muse" , in answer to the question :What are your thoughts on a muse? Is it non-existent, or does it inspire you on a regular basis? :
dogpack saving 4premium  : "Writing is simple writing, placing characters onto a page or screen or even yourself. You can write any time and anywhere. Kick the editor to the nearest jail cell and lock the door, then write. Write the ABC's over and over again if necessary, but write 1,2,3...got it? Give your imagination free range to wander anywhere and everywhere. Did I write, write? Why are you reading this when you need to write?"
Great advice! Thanks for the comment. 
WriterAngel  : "Love the muse message and helpful tips! But the alimony muse quote was my favorite. Thank you for bringing a breath of fresh humor to us in each newsletter. It is much appreciated. Especially on days like today." :)
The 'alimony muse' quote was my favorite, too! Thanks for the comments — you made my day.
 Comments from the Newsfeed. I had fun reading your responses:
Bilal Latif  : As Fox Mulder said, 'I want to believe.'
TheBusmanPoet  : "Many people including myself believe that our muse is something or someone inspiring "outside" of ourselves. Our muse is what we allow our sub conscious or even deeper our Id to reign free. We allow it to run free to stimulate our imagination. It's our most deeper inner thoughts coming to the fore and it's a beautiful thing." 
Kotaro  : "We write about the human experience, so I believe that all the friends, relatives, neighbors, co-workers, everyone we have known are inside us, and it’s all mixed up and messed up. That’s our muse, and sometimes it pops out an egg."
Louis Williams : "I personally feel that if you're waiting for a muse to inspire you, you're waiting for a train that ain't coming. You got to take your imagination out for daily walkies, just like a dog. Do it enough and it will grow to like it and begin to scratch at the door at it's appointed timw. It will even begin to tug on the leash."
Scifiwizard Retired : "IMO, a muse is like an old imaginary friend whom one never outgrows. He, or she, whispers into one's ear with ideas that one may (or may not) think 'That's a great idea for a story'. Only for some (like myself) one's muse can whisper at the oddest of times such as one in the morning or while at work with no way to get to a notepad and pen before the thought is forgotten."
dragonwoman : "My muse hangs out with me, but sometimes gets so bored she takes off for pastures new. When she decides to come back she is able to inspire me anew."
Nobody’s Home  : "I always wished for a muse, because I thought that would mean I was a gifted writer. Sadly, there's only ever been me, so I just have to use all of my senses to be constantly on the look-out for inspiration. I really appreciate Louis Williams 's comments about daily walkies. This feels right."
elephantsealer : "I thought the "muse" is a thought/idea/concept?"
JCosmos  : "I have a muse. My muse is a very crazy dude. He takes me into dark corners of my mind and takes over when I have an inspiration and an idea the muse takes control, and I am a prisoner just typing what the muse dictates. I have no control."
Bob : "A muse is where a writer's inspiration comes from. So, my muse must be my brain because I get inspired by my imagination. However, my elder brother once told me he attended a fast draw competition on the west coast and watched a young man win the world's fastest gun competition. He drew cocked and fire in 2 one hundredths of a second. Brother asked him about it and they stood side by side facing a wall. He allowed my brother to draw his side arm, point at the wall and cock his gun. He said, "now let's count to three and I'll draw and fire before you can pull the trigger. My brother said he was still squeezing the trigger when he heard the champion's gun click.That story gave me the inspiration to write a novella depicting Billy the Kid as a time traveler. Was my brother the muse, or was it the tale of his experience with the fastest gun in the world?"
david : "There are rare people who inspire you to write and could be called a Muse but sadly there are thousands of people that kill inspiration and murder creativity."
Jillian Montgomery : "In the screenwriting world, they are called "champions". They are your Muse, your Mentor and your friend. They give you inspiration and motivation with what they do in their life."
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