Confessions Of An Over-Exclaimer

I’ve got a confession to make.  It’s not easy to admit, nor is it helpful to my status as a “rising star in the literary world.”

My name is Jason…and I’m an Over-Exclaimer.

*waving* “Hi Jason!”

It’s true.  I exclaim more than necessary.  I use the trusty exclamation mark more than my toothbrush, which I use several times a day thank you very much!  It’s like a crazed obsession of mine.  I’m like a pre-teen girl talking about nail polish or a teenaged boy yelling in his Xbox headset.

“Ha, you suck!  I blew your head off!  I own you!”

Yeah, I have a weird relationship with the exclamation mark.  I have an odd need to use it in all my online writing and even in business emails.  Yeah, those get the same dose of exclaim as anything else.

Hey Customer,

Wow, great design!  I’m thrilled to offer a quote on those shirts!  I think it would look better if you used more exclamation marks!  The world needs more, we don’t get hyped up enough!

Thanks!

-Jason

Seriously, it’s not out of the question for me to use them daily in almost every email I send.  Twitter can get that way too.  I’m pretty sure every reply I Tweet has at least two, if not more, exclamation marks.  I certainly overuse it.  It’s one of those things that I wasn’t fully aware of until recently.  Now that I am, I scrutinize everything I write in order to rid myself of the unwanted enthusiasm.  I mean, who has enough patience for that?  No one!

So until next time, please watch your use of exclamation marks.  Help eliminate overused excitement and bring some even-keeled sobriety to the world.  Thanks!

Oh…and don’t get me started on the ellipsis!

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Thanks for stopping by.  Every month I write essays and offer up new flash fiction on the 15th.  If you like what you read, please leave a comment and share.  I’d appreciate it!