Show Notes & Resources: Hello, and welcome to About This Writing Thing, a weekly podcast about living the writing life. I'm your host, Sayword B. Eller, novelist, short story writer, and podcaster. This week I'm talking about dramatic punctuation. Specifically exclamation points and ellipses. You should know now that I am the queen of the ellipses. First, I want to let you know I'm still taking clients for my critique and editing services. You can visit saywordbeller.com to take a look at my testimonials and send me a message to schedule, or you can head over to Fiverr.com/saybeller to sign up for one of my gigs. Also, I'm asking you what you want to talk about in 2021. I have several topics lined up for the remainder of this year and into the first of the year, but I'd like to know what you'd like to hear about. This can't be all about me all the time, right? If you follow me or About This Writing Thing on Instagram, just send me a PM, or send me an email at sayword@saywordbeller.com. Now, let's talk dramatics. We've all heard Elmore Leonard's writing advice that we shouldn't use more than 2 - 3 exclamation points per 100,000 words in a novel. Since my novels are typically around 80k-90k, that means I should only use 2 in the entire book, according to Leonard. Thankfully, this isn't the case. Not even he followed this rule, according to Ben Blatt's 2017 article in The Atlantic that I will link in the description box below. But I get the sentiment and I constantly pass it on to new (and even seasoned) writers. Too many exclamation points in your narrative are distracting and overwhelming. Period. As your trusted (I hope) writing guru (can I call myself a guru?), I scoured the internet to find a few sources on using exclamation points in fiction writing. Turns out, I didn't really need to because at this point in my career I know full-well why I shouldn't use them often. I mean, who wants their readers to feel like they're being yelled at constantly. No one is that dramatic! Am I right? The Write Good Books Blog featured a post in August 2017 that had this to say about using too many exclamation points in fiction writing:It's a sign of weak writing - The rule of thumb is that the actions of your character(s) along with their dialogue should show the reader the height of emotion without the use of exclamation points. However, if you must use them, for crying out loud, don't say "he/she exclaimed or shouted or yelled" after the dialogue. We know they're shouting, screaming, or yelling because you've used an exclamation point.Your characters are not shouting all the time - Are they? I read a submission recently that had so many exclamation points in a half-page conversation that I was exhausted by the time the conversation had concluded. I know we get excited in conversation. I know sometimes we have very heightened passages of dialogue in reality. Personally, I think it's fine to have that one very dramatic scene, but that's the only one you get. Use it like it's your final lifeline and a million dollars is at stake. In other words, use it very carefully and only if it's absolutely necessary. It makes everything seem rushed - Remember that ending scene in Clue? If you haven't watched it, stop right now and go watch it, but make sure you watch the version with the 3 endings. You can't get the full effect otherwise. Did you watch it? Okay. So, when Wadsworth is running around like mad with the rest of the group and they're trying to piece together what happened …. That's what using too many exclamation points in like in writing. Yes, it's fun for that ten minutes on screen, but in a short story or novel it's tedious and exhausting. It takes the reader out of the story - Think about the last time you read a novel with too many exclamation points. When I was studying history I used to read a lot of texts from the 19th century. Heads up, they LOVED exclamation points. They were used for effect and to highlight things, and to really just drive the readers into a frenzy. Okay, I'm assuming that last one. We're not 19th century readers. We don't need all those exclamation points to clue us in on the importance of something or to let us know that something crazy or amazing is happening. That's what action in your narrative is for.  I tend to agree with ProWritingAid, "[It's] better for your readers and your reputation […] to use amazing word choices to entice your readers and get them excited" (ProWritingAid "Exclamation Point: Use it or not?"). Personally, I don't like to see more than 3 exclamation points per 10 chapters. Of course, I also know that people actually roll their eyes in real life, so my characters *GASP* roll their eyes, though that action is used as sparingly as exclamation points, or should be. Nobody's perfect, though, so if you go through some of my stories and see a lot of eye rolling, don't come at me. K.M. Weiland give 3 examples of how writers shouldn't use exclamation points.For emphasis - Again, this is something that went out of style in 1900. Don't do it. For hilarity - F. Scott Fitzgerald said, "an exclamation point is like laughing at your own joke." If you have to slap your knee and cackle while looking at everyone else around the room expecting them to get it, you probably shouldn't tell the joke. Same thing with exclamation points. You can think it's the most clever thing you've ever typed or written, but you have to leave it up to the reader to get the context from the narrative and dialogue. Don't keep shoving their shoulder going, "Huh! Huh!"For excitement - I read The Lady Lieutenant, a book published in 1862 about a woman who dresses as a man and goes to war. She has grand adventures that overly romanticize war and a woman's place in it (I'm speaking in 19th century jargon here). In the text the author, Richard Hooker Wilmer, uses exclamation points often to show readers how exciting the action in a scene is. It's a quick read, and an important text for the social historian studying perceptions and portrayals of women in the 19th century, but by today's standards it sinks. As mentioned before, nowadays your narrative should do the work that the once-popular exclamation point once did. It is your responsibility as author to find (and use) exciting words in well-constructed sentences that show your readers how exciting a passage is. Never rely on punctuation to do what you should be doing.  As with everything else in writing, use exclamation points with purpose and only if they're absolutely necessary. Other forms of dramatic punctuation are ellipses and italics. I am guilty of both. As I self-edited my first novel I realized I was the queen of the ellipses. I had at least six instances of them on each page. EACH PAGE. I used mine for conversations that fall away, or for characters whose minds wander in thought. The ellipses historical use is to convey that something is missing. These missing elements could be words, thoughts, or even feelings. C. S. Lakin stated two uses for them, "to indicate trailing, faltering, or interrupted speech (which is the most common use for fiction writers) [and] to indicate that text is missing or omitted from a quotation" (Lakin Live, Write, Thrive). I still use ellipses, but after identifying that they're a real problem for me, I became hyper-vigilant of them and now use them sparingly. However, as is apt to happen to us beautiful and complicated people, I have now taken to relying too much on another dramatic writing tool, the italics. In my writing I italicize words for emphasis, as well as internal thoughts, past conversations, and dreams. These latter three aren't much of a problem because I don't use them as often as I do italics for emphasis. According to some writers, this is a sign of lazy or weak writing. I don't like to say that someone is a lazy writer, but the truth of the matter is that sometimes we are lazy. I don't feel like I'm being lazy when I use these tools, but when I go back through to edit my second and third drafts (I almost always have at least 4), I tend to weed out some of the emphasized text by strengthening the narrative around it. The truth of the matter is that everything discussed today has its place in writing. Sometimes we are dramatic, sometimes our characters are dramatic. That isn't the problem. If nothing else, those instances of dramatics makes the prose more realistic. Hubby and I just finished watching Evil on Netflix and the main character, Kristen, has 4 daughters. In every scene these girls are in it's a whirlwind of movement and talking. Each girl wants to be heard over the other. It becomes overwhelming, but it's so realistic. I only had 3 kids and sometimes I had to step away because it was too much. So, no one is saying never use them, but when you do use exclamation points, ellipses, or italics, do it with a purpose and make sure that you don't do it so much that your readers want to throw the book across the room. That's it for this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please give me a thumbs up or a like, and subscribe. I would be ever so grateful if you would share About This Writing Thing with your writing friends. Who knows, maybe they'll be my friends too. We can never have too many writing pals. If you want to know what I'm doing between shows, you can find me on Instagram and Twitter (@saybeller), you can also find this podcast on Instagram (AboutThisWritingThing) and on Twitter (@WritingThingPod). If you're interested in critique or editing services, you can find me on Fiverr (https://fiverr.com/saybeller) or you can go to my website to read my testimonials and schedule a consult. My email newsletter goes out on the first of every month. If you haven't signed up yet and you'd like to, visit my website and click on the subscribe box at the top of the screen. Thanks for hanging out with me. Take care and happy writing!  Resources: The Editor's Blog: https://theeditorsblog.net/2018/01/12/slapped-silly-by-exclamation-points/ Weiland, K.M. Helping Writers Become Authors Blog, August 2, 2015. https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/exclamation-points/#:~:text=Exclamation%20Points%20for%20Emphasis&text=In%20fiction%2C%20this%20kind%20of,their%20immersion%20in%20your%20narrative. Blatt, Ben. "How Many Exclamation Points do Great Writers Use?" The Atlantic, March 2017. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/03/curb-your-enthusiasm/513833/ ProWritingAid. "The Exclamation Point: Use it or Not?" The Writing Cooperative. September 9, 2018. https://writingcooperative.com/exclamation-point-use-it-or-not-34f7bccf4032 Bougger, Jason. "Why Are You Shouting At Me!!!" Write Good Books Blog, August 29, 2017. https://www.writegoodbooks.com/why-are-you-shouting-at-me/ Fawkes, September C. https://www.septembercfawkes.com/2019/05/how-to-use-ellipsis-properly-in-fiction.html Lakin, C. S. "Don't Abuse the Dot-Dot-Dots" Live, Write Thrive. August 22, 2014. https://www.livewritethrive.com/2014/08/22/dont-abuse-the-dot-dot-dots/

About This Writing Thing

Episode 31: You Don't Have to Shout! Using Dramatic Punctuation Your Writing

Mentioned in this episode: https://www.novel-software.com/blog?article=how-to-do-fiction-critique-(feedback)-in-a-writer%E2%80%99s-circle   http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson209/definition_style.pdf   saywordbeller.com   About This Writing Thing on Twitter & Instagram Sayword B. Eller on Instagram & Twitter

Episode 30: How to Give Critique

Mentioned in this episode: Episode 13: About This Writing Thing - https://aboutthiswritingthing.podbean.com/e/episode-13-corrections-editing-updates-and-critique-tips/   Show notes can be found HERE.   You can follow me on Instagram & Twitter, and you can follow this podcast on Twitter & Instagram.   To learn more about my critique services, read testimonials, and check out my rates, visit saywordbeller.com!   Thanks for listening! Have a great week!

Episode 29 - How to Handle Critique (part 1)

Show notes HERE!  Follow Sayword B. Eller on Instagram or Twitter! Follow About This Writing Thing on Instagram or Twitter!

Episode 28: Why Your First Draft Doesn't Have to be Magical

Find show notes HERE! If you're interested in a professional critique visit my website to read about the services I offer HERE! You can find Sayword B. Eller on Twitter & Instagram and you can find About This Writing Thing on Twitter & Instagram.

Episode 27: Show & Tell: Finding a Balance That Works

Let's talk about one of my weaknesses, pacing. I know what my problem is, the stakes aren't high enough, but I just haven't found my stride in fixing those issues yet. Thought this might be the perfect place to talk about it! Show notes can be found HERE. Find me on social media: @saybeller - Instagram & Twitter @WritingThingPod (Twitter) & @AboutThisWritingThing (Instagram) Thank you so much for listening! Have a great week! 

Episode 26: Pacing: How to Get it Right

Show notes available HERE! Sign up for my email list HERE! Follow me on Instagram & Twitter! Follow About This Writing Thing on Instagram & Twitter!   Thanks for listening!

Episode 25: Procrastination: How to work with it, not against it.

Today we're talking dialogue/end tags vs. story beats. I'd love to know which you prefer, or if you have found that delicate balance for both! Thanks for listening!  A supplemental blog post to this episode can be found HERE. Follow me on social media! @saybeller - Instagram & Twitter AboutThisWritingThing - Instagram @WritingThingPod - Twitter

Episode 24: Give Me A Beat - Finding A Balance That Works

Hello, Hello! It's been a little bit since I've posted an episode and I'm finally showing up to tell you why. New episodes will resume soon. Thank you for your support! -S Website: saywordbeller.com Twitter: Sayword B. Eller or About This Writing Thing Instagram: Sayword B. Eller or About This Writing Thing

Update Episode!

I did it! I finally got agent feedback and it was GREAT! But now she's asked me to revise a few things and I'm scared to death I'm going to mess it up!  saywordbeller.com Sayword B. Eller: Instagram & Twitter About This Writing Thing: Instagram & Twitter

Episode 23: My Revise & Resubmit Request Has Me Feeling Some Type of Way

Mentioned in this episode: The Hot Sheet SaywordBEller.com About This Writing Thing: Twitter & Instagram Sayword B. Eller: Twitter & Instagram

Episode 22: Pitching in the Time of Corona

No show notes this week, folks. I'm suffering from what a number of writers are at this time, a lack of motivation to write anything, which is too bad considering that this is an ideal time for writers to write for posterity.  If you'd like to know what I'm up to on social media, you can check me out on Twitter: Sayword B. Eller & WritingThingPod and Instagram: Sayword B. Eller, About This Writing Thing, & Kimber Trace. You can also find me on Wattpad & at my website: saywordbeller.com. Thanks for listening!

Episode 21: Writing For Posterity

Find me on social media: Twitter & Instagram Or visit my website: saywordbeller.com   Show notes available HERE.   RESOURCES:   Kircher, Madison M, 2020, What's Going on With My Dark Vanessa and Excavation?, Vulture, February 3, 2020: https://www.vulture.com/2020/02/my-dark-vanessa-and-excavation-book-controversy-explained.html   Ortiz, Wendy, January 9, 2020, https://twitter.com/WendyCOrtiz/status/1218999472224493569   Ortiz, Wendy, 2020, Adventures in Publishing Outside the Gates: On the Industry's Gatekeeping, Gay Mag, January 29, 2020: https://gay.medium.com/adventures-in-publishing-outside-the-gates-a06f089c372e   Ortiz, Wendy. Excavation: A Memoir. Future Tense Books: Portland, OR, 2014.   Oswald, Anjelica, 2016, The multimillion-dollar sums that celebrities make on books — and how they actually sell, Business Insider, March 9, 2016:   RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network): https://www.rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence   Russell, Kate Elizabeth. My Dark Vanessa. William Morrow: New York, 2020.   Russell, Kate E., 2020, Note to Readers, http://kateelizabethrussell.com/note-to-readers.

Episode 20: Notes on a Scandal - My Review of Excavation & My Dark Vanessa

We're living in strange times, folks. I never thought I would have to worry about a toilet paper shortage in my lifetime, yet here I am...worrying.  This is my first episode back in a while and I'm talking about current world events (i.e. COVID-19), social distancing, and my first FULL REQUEST! I love saying that!  I'm also excited to give you a bonus episode this week! Episode 20 (available 3/27/20) is my review of Wendy Ortiz's EXCAVATION and Kate Elizabeth Russell's MY DARK VANESSA.  If you want to see what I'm up to between episodes, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram (@saybeller) and you can find this podcast on Twitter (@writingthingpod).  You can also visit my website: saywordbeller.com Until next time!

Episode 19: Social Distancing and My FULL REQUEST!

Have you ever been close to the finish line with a project only to find yourself paralyzed by a sudden onset of impostor syndrome? This was me two weeks ago and I'm talking about it in today's episode.  Show Notes: Hello, and welcome to About This Writing Thing, a weekly podcast about living the writing life. I'm your host, Sayword B. Eller, novelist, short story writer, podcaster, and imposter. Prior to recording this, when I first began writing these show notes I'd nearly added the additional 14,000 words needed to my WIP. I had less than 2500 to go and only 15 chapters left to edit before sending to my editor. I should have been feeling great, but I wasn't.  On the second of February 2020, I entered the shower in a fine mood, but exited almost in tears. Yes, it happened that fast. As I lathered my hair, I thought of Donald Maass's Writing the Breakout Novel, I thought of the RWA scandal and the American Dirt criticism, and how I may be criticized by the masses for the diverse characters included in my narrative (of which there are 2 in a cast of less than 10), and I thought of just how many of us are going for traditional publication and how many make it, and then I thought of how many get the first book deal and don't get another…you get the point. By the time I stepped out of the shower my anxiety was through the roof and I was left thinking, what's the point? I tried to talk to my husband about it, tried to get him to understand exactly what it was I was feeling, but I couldn't articulate it because I wasn't even fully aware of what I was feeling. Yes, I was overwhelmed by the emotions of what if I'm not good enough to ever be published. My social media presence is small, my query writing skills are abysmal, and I don't even want to talk about my ability to write a synopsis. As with everything else, I am an undesirable because I'm not good enough.  And there is was. Despite having gained so much knowledge about my craft, regardless of how many people tell me I am a strong writer, I don't think I'm good enough, and all these outside things are confirming what I think I already know. I'm not good enough. Turns out, I was suffering from full onset Imposter Syndrome. In her 2008 article, Overcoming Imposter Syndrome, Gill Corkindale defines impostor syndrome as, "a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evident success" (Corkindale). At this point I'm less than three thousand words from finishing my third novel. Three. I've seen a story published in a literary magazine and I have several writers who look up to me as a type of authority on writing. I'm successful at my craft in my own right. Yet, I felt as though the completion of this novel meant nothing because it's just another novel that will sit unpublished despite the fact that (IMHO) it's really good. It’s relevant, it challenges the reader to like someone they probably wouldn't like out of mere misunderstanding and first impressions in real life. This book, if given the chance, could really be something. Despite knowing all this I wallowed for two days. On the second day I made myself really think about what was going on. Yes, on the first day my insides were upside down and churning without me thinking beyond how absolutely desolate I was feeling, but the next day I sat in the sun and made myself think about all those things that were holding up my progress. Yes, there are eyes looking with increased scrutiny at every published word. That isn't a bad thing. Is it scary that I might end up on the dark side of that attention one day? Hell yes, but I know this special attention, even if it does seem unfair and unwarranted to some, is mostly being done with the best intentions. Yes, according to Donald Maass's book I'm probably not going to see the success that I once imagined in this new world of best seller or super best seller. If I'm like the average population, and I usually am, I can expect to see moderate success. I need to be okay with that even though I'll still be reaching for the top. Yes, my social media presence is sub par. Less than 2,000 followers on Twitter and less than 500 on Instagram. It isn't ideal to some agents and publishers, but the great writers who came before me didn't even have social media. Donald Maass's book may be telling me super success isn't likely, but it's also telling me how important word of mouth is and that's something that was around well before social media. It may make things a bit slower, and I may still be rejected based on my lack of numbers, but it doesn't mean I don't have a chance. Yes, there are a lot of writers in the world going after what I am, but there are also 7 billion people in the world and 86% of them can read. In short, there are enough readers to go around. Especially considering not all readers only read one author. Finally, yes, there are plenty of authors who get one book deal and don't get another from their publisher. I know a couple. It's not the end of the world. And, to be honest, that's a bridge to cross if or when I get to it. On the third day I got back to work, adding another 4k to the manuscript to bring its total to a little over 83k. In case you're trying to do the math, before my breakdown I had a very productive week. I added 11,000 words in 3 days. This book was ready to be finished and I was ready to finish it. Now, two weeks later, Catching Fireflies has been to the editor. Notes are good. In fact, they're far better than expected. I'm working on the query letter, the first draft of which has been sent to my mentor. I'm feeling good again. I know the imposter syndrome will creep up on me again at some point, but I hope by then I've signed with an agent. I might be able to talk myself down a bit easier. That's it for this week. Please excuse my lack of episodes this year. Next week I'll be revisiting those goals I talked about in January and, hopefully, updating you on the status of the dreaded query. If you liked this episode, please give me a like or subscribe, or both. I won't be upset If you share me with your friends. The more the merrier. For those local, I'm hosting a workshop in May with a couple of writer pals. We'll be talking about making time for your writing, how to write engaging short fiction, and turning your memories into essays. The Find the Writer in You workshop will run from 9:30 to 12:30 on May 2, 2020 at the Asheboro Public Library in Asheboro, North Carolina. It is free and open to the public. I encourage you to join us if you're nearby. As usual, if you'd like to see what I have going on you can check out saywordbeller.com or you can find me on Instagram and Twitter using the handle @saybeller. There is a Twitter account for this podcast @writingthingpod. Thanks for listening. Have a great week and happy writing!

Episode 18 - Impostor Syndrome is Real, Y'all.

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