I’m drowning in a metaphorical sea of exclamation points.

I fear the full stop is slowly being phased out by the aggressive and grammatically ambiguous use of exclamation points. At the risk of being perceived as over-dramatic, I dream of a world in which every full stop achieves the right to continued existence, protection, improvement and participation in prose.

This means ensuring that full stops do not die out from preventable use of exclamation points, that they have the opportunity to feature throughout text and that they have - and understand - their rights as a full stop.

But what will we do with all of the exclamation points?

I am not suggesting the abolishment of exclamation points entirely.  They can be useful for turning a sentence into a strong command or when capturing an emotional outburst in text that is literary dialog or personal expressive writing, such as an email. For example:
- Shock: "I can’t believe you used the exclamation point in your resume!"
- Excitement: "Oh my God! I didn’t see one exclamation point in the entire report!"
- Urgency: "Be careful when using exclamation points! Consider using a full stop! If you don't, you could hurt the feelings of others!”
- Vehemence: "Down with the exclamation point!"
- Astonishment: "I just can't believe what she's done! It's simply incorrect!"

If you are going to use an exclamation point, it is very important that you use them in a grammatically sound manner. Here are a few tips:

• Do not use a full stop after an exclamation point occurring in the end of a sentence, even if followed by quotation marks.
• If you are using an exclamation point with other visual aids, such as capital letters, boldface or italic type (again, this should be done sparingly) ensure it receives the same formatting.
• When an exclamation point follows a quoted text, put it before the closing quotation mark if it applies just to the quoted text. Put the exclamation point outside the closing quotation mark if it applies to the entire sentence.
  -If only I could finally say "I've never seen an exclamation point used inappropriately" like I’ve always dreamed! [entire sentence is exclamatory]
  -"I didn’t see one exclamation point!" cried Kristine to her mother excitedly on the phone.[only quoted text is in exclamatory, no extra comma after an exclamation mark]

To drive this point home, do use it in stories and personal communication, but use it sparingly. Avoid where possible.

How do I avoid using an exclamation point?

It is highly inappropriate to put an exclamation point in formal pieces of writing such as a business resume, report, proposal or a scholarly article, as the style expected in these should be objective, standard, and informative.

Using an exclamation point in these formats creates an impression of unwarranted exaggeration, which in turn is perceived as clumsy, marketing oriented or immature. You can try using alternative wording or other punctuation marks to express emotion. Make your readers infer emotions by giving them context. For example;

Avoid: Her blog was amazing!!! Super-duper!!! She really knows how to write!
[Exaggerated enthusiasm using too many exclamation points]

Consider: Her blog emphasised the overuse of exclamations with style and prowess. It appears that she is highly professional.
[Subtle enthusiasm using alternative wording with full stops instead of exclamation points]

Of course, there are other contexts in which you can use exclamation points such as indicating rhetorical questions, and for drawing attention to unlikely points of information.  My advice would be to avoid them entirely.   Use your words.

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

I use Leonardo Da Vinci's 15th century old quote to reflect and discuss my thoughts and approach to writing.  What I love about the concept of simplicity is that it can imply beauty, purity or clarity. From a creative or engineering perspective, simplicity lends itself to harmonious design both aesthetically and structurally.  Consider how it would appear if we were to apply it to our communication style. We would first need to overcome our initial fears that a simplistic approach would automatically detract from our message, but beyond that we can begin to look for a balance.  

I like to think of it like this; when we read someone else’s writing we are listening to them - we hear their thinking.  So much of what I read on websites, in advertising and in business documents makes me wonder if people are thinking clearly.  Allow me to explain...

The main problem that I see in writing today, particularly in the business context, is that there is too much information and not enough focus.  We are quick to add complexity to our messages, perhaps through the belief that it adds rigor to our argument and enhances our persuasive influence. The result is a document or article that is utterly confusing.  However, the solution isn’t ‘to dumb down’ the content, but rather ‘to smarten up’.

I have a very simple tip that I can bestow.  Before I write, I ask myself (via my inner monologue) ‘so what?’ and it usually sounds like this: 

This face cream is designed to tone, tighten and firm your skin.

My inner monologue: So what?

This face cream is designed to tone, tighten and firm your skin, reducing fine lines and wrinkles.

My inner monologue: So what?

This face cream is designed to tone, tighten and firm your skin, reducing fine lines and wrinkles.  This will create a younger, more attractive appearance.

This design considers the reader, and what they might be wanting the achieve.  As a closing thought, consider the following:  "How we write positions our message - more or less successfully.  But is also brands us.  It says something about who we are, what we value, how straight we think, how much trouble we take, how dependable we are.  How you write is who you are. So, who do you want to be?" - Tredinnick and Whyte (2010).