Overusing Punctuation Makes Your Writing Weaker
Hi, hello 👋🏼
Today we’re talking about punctuation.
I can already hear you saying: But Kourtney, you’re not that kind of editor.
You’re right. I’m not. But over-punctuation is a common issue I see and I intend to vanquish it.
In today’s Writing Craft Wednesday, we’re talking about…
❗ The punctuation that is commonly overused
❓ What over-punctuation does to your writing
💡 The solutions to your punctuation overuse problem
Over-punctuation is truly an ouf/oof situation.
Frequent Offenders
These are the 4 most commonly used punctuation marks I’ve seen as an editor and as an avid fanfiction reader. This is not a post to shit on fanfic—I love it, I read it, I used to write it. But, I would bet like…20% of my retirement fund that most of us learned how to write through fanfic when we were prepubescent.
Was anyone else on Quizilla (now Mibba)? 👀
The most overused punctuation:
Exclamation point (!)
Question mark (?)
Em dash (—)
Ellipses (…)
The only punctuation that cannot be overused is the period/full stop.
How ‘The Big 4’ are Overused
Before we get into the explanation, there will always be instances when the ‘frequent offenders’ are the best-suited punctuation. The key to remember: overuse and repetition will make punctuation lose its impact and effect.
The Exclamation Point
General Guidelines:
Indicates yelling or extreme emotion
Don’t use more than one (!!)
Don’t use it in conjunction with a question mark (!?)
Why?
Publishers tend to discourage overuse, or usage at all really—some only want to see 2-3 per manuscript.
Overuse encourages weaker writing, often the exclamation point is used as a stand-in for other, stronger ways to show emotion or tone of voice.
The solution:
Get yourself the Emotion Thesaurus—I’m not kidding. It’s the best resource you’ll ever invest in!
Take time to become aware of where you use exclamation points the most. Is it when a character is yelling/shouting/screaming?
“Watch out!” she shouted.
OR
“Watch out!!!” she shouted.
You can rewrite this without the exclamation point and let the tag do the heavy lifting:
“Watch out,” she shouted.
You can also rewrite this to keep the exclamation point, lose the tag, and then add character action/movement and interiority to accompany the dialogue:
The car wasn’t turned away. Maybe the brakes went? No, the driver had his eyes locked on the kids. She inhaled, adrenline pushing her toward them. “Watch out!”
Get clear on how your character acts and reacts to things. Do they have any body language quirks or facial expressions they use when feeling their emotions? Use them to convey what you would usually convey with an exclamation.
What I want to tell characters who only seem to yell.
The Question Mark
General Guidelines:
Punctuates a question (in dialogue, verbatim thought, or narration)
Don’t use more than one (??)
Don’t use it in conjunction with an exclamation point (!?)
Why?
Overuse, our using multiple, tends to point to weaker writing and trying to convey emotion through punctuation than other, better means.
The solution:
A question mark to punctuate a question is perfectly fine—don’t start spiraling.
The issue comes in when multiple are used or when the interrobang (!?) is used, typically when the writer has the character, in dialogue, expressing a mix of shock/anger/excitement while asking a question.
“What happened!?” he asked.
OR
“What happened???” he asked.
The fix is very similar to the exclamation point fix. Use one punctuation mark. If it’s a question—use the question mark. If your character is asking this question out of shock or surprise or some other extreme emotion, you can use body language, facial expressions, or internal sensations.
Waking into the house, his daughters were sitting at the dining room table. One was crying, the other staring at her lap. A sudden, overwhelming sense of dread sunk heavy in his gut. His hand tightened around his briefcase. “What happened?”
Selena’s angry, she’s yelling, but her dialogue ends with a question mark here.
The Em Dash
Em dashes are my favorite overused punctuation mark…as I’m sure frequent readers have clocked in these newsletters. 👀
General Guidelines:
Use to offset information, to show an interruption of speech, or to show a sudden break in thought.
Why?
While em dashes don’t always indicate weaker writing, they are often overused. And can easily be substituted for a comma to produce the same sentence flow.
The solution:
Use them when you need to in your fiction writing. Use them when they would be most impactful—you feel me? Otherwise, see if a comma works (commas and periods are the most invisible punctuation marks).
Will I ever stop overusing the em-dash?
Ellipses
My second favorite punctuation to overuse…
General Guidelines:
Use to show words trailing off or show hesitation (in dialogue) or an idea (in narration)
Why?
Overuse of ellipses is more a writing habit than anything.
The Solution:
Just like exclamation points and em dashes—use them judiciously.
The Key to Remember
It said it in the last section, but it’s worth repeating.
Overuse and repetition will make punctuation lose its impact and effect.