In Praise of the Exclamation Point

When I wrote my first novel, Through the Open Window, a very kind reviewer pointed out to me that I used too many exclamation points - that they should be used rarely, if ever. It is advice I have seen repeated in other writing articles. When I wrote my second novel, The Rose Ring, I did try to take that advice to heart. Exclamation points are few and far between.


Despite this novel-writing law, I do feel that the much-aligned exclamation point serves a useful purpose and in my casual writing I use it all the time. After all, it exists for a reason. Exclamation Mark, a children's book by The New York Times Bestselling Team of Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld tells a fun story about this punctuation mark trying to find its way in the world. After all, he was different and didn't fit in among all those round dots better known as periods. It's not until he meets a very energetic question mark that he finds his voice. Then, he can't wait to share it with the world!

This is a great book for anyone who enjoys grammar, punctuation, writing, or is simply different and trying to figure out where he or she fits in.


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