!

G

Gawian

Starforger
Joined
Jul 23, 2014
Messages
190
Location
Easy to find inspiration, hard to get it on paper.
A bizarre title I know, but roll with it for a little while.

I watch a show on Netflix called EXPLAINED. Where they explain parts of society. The latest episode (11th July 2018) is simply titled "!".
The episode is all about the Exclamation Point and its use in writing and how it is changed since it was first invented.

It's certainly a good watch, and now I'm curious, how do you all use your exclamation points?
Do you think it's more acceptable for women to use it over men? (This isn't my sexist viewpoint, it's something that was raised in the episode. Please don't kill me!)

If you got Netflix, take a look at the episode, then write back here what you thought.
 
In my professional writing, I never used them.

In my novel writing, I'm sparing of them, using them only for exclamations or similar.

In personal letters, PMs, emails and some posts here, I'm profligate, though I try to use only one at a time, not end sentences with !! or more. I'm female, so make of that what you will.

One -- female -- friend litters her letters with them, and sentence ends often have multiple !!!!s. In this respect I'm reminded of Pride and Prejudice, where Lydia's letters to Kitty "were much too full of lines under the words to be made public" -- we've simply swapped copious underlinings for copious exclamation marks.

I don't know that it's specifically female, though, nor that it's more acceptable for us. It's acceptability in my eyes lies in when and where the ! is used.
 
I use them in my writing (though generally only one at a time), because people use them in speech. That is, people exclaim things, and I prefer the exclamation point to the "he exclaimed", especially when according to the punctuation he didn't.
 
!
I avoid the thing,
that old Exclamation Point.

But I would invent,
an Ejaculation Point.

Though either could set,
someones nose way out of joint.

Being facetious ,
just in case you miss the point.
!
 
HareBrain said:
For those of us without Netflix, can you summarise the main points?
Click to expand...

Think I just had the most millennial thought of my entire life. "Who doesn't have Netflix??"

Anyway...

It's a longish episode so I don't remember the key points, but it started off and became super popular.
But then it became unpopular and was seen as a "girly thing" to use. Literally, there was a period of time where men didn't use it because it was seen as too feminine.

Then it was adopted by Advertising media to draw attention.

Now it's being adopted by online medium, like when people write a tweet and spam !!!, once again, to draw attention. E.G... "JUST BROUGHT BROCOLLIS LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I mean, if you don't have Netflix, there's probably another way to watch it, not that I would advocate any such methods of course, it's quite an interesting show overall.

But just that episode alone had me thinking. I never thought that the use of the humble ! might have changed over time.
 
Funny you mention this... (ellipses btw are my vice ;)) Last night I suddenly came to question my lack of commas at the end of spoken text continued with description. In my search of various novels, I pulled up one of the Lord of the Rings series and happened to come upon a scene of the Hobbits.

It drove me crazy! (!!!) No matter how inconsequential the phrase or quip, it ended in an exclamation point. Now I get it... they're spastic, vivacious, manic little fellows and it conveyed that. However, after a bit of reading due to the exclamation points, I just wanted to gag them all. :censored:

Maybe I'm just grumpy being so old :cautious:

K2
 
Many short story editors have a "three strikes and you're out" rule, and one of those rules is often when they reach a fourth exclamation mark. A while ago I checked through some stories of mine and realised most of the exclamation marks didn't add anything, as the exclamation was already in the context, or wasn't needed anyway.

I'd be interested to know the reasoning behind it being more acceptable for female authors to use exclamation marks. It sounds like quite a ridiculous statement to make!
 
Netflix .... We don't have it, not interested, but then boomers, not millennials. But my kids are both millennials, one is on government assistance to some degree, and that family has Netflix, and the other family is solidly middle class but does not have it. they are talking about giving up cable and going to things like Hulu and over the air completely. So..... I'd guess that Netflix is not as ubiquitous as it might seem to be.
 
Interesting observation. I do think as @The Judge points out, some of it depends on the context. In any sort of professional writing of which I am aware (I read philosophy, theology, Biblical studies, history and scientific journals, grant RFPs, national best practice guidelines, and legal text on a somewhat regular basis), the expression of any emotion is strongly frowned upon. Objectivity is the goal, not what one feels on the matter.

For novels, it seems like it doesn't fully matter the sex of author; characterization is more important that author here. If one has a bubbly, excitable character, they are much more likely to use exclamation marks than a stoic, serious one. Now, a case could be made that women are more likely to be characterized as outgoing and excitable than men, and that could be an interesting conversation on its own, but I think it is outside of the present discussion.

Business correspondence and personal messages is where I most see this division. In both cases, it is completely normal for women to use exclamations (and emogis), but unusual for men to do so. The only explanation I have us that it is more culturally acceptable for women to be expressive than men.

Just my candid observations, anyway.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top