Stop Shouting at Your Readers: The Perils of Overusing Exclamation Points

The exclamation point is like hot sauce — a little adds zest, but pour it on everything and you’ll overwhelm the dish. In writing, this tiny stick-and-dot carries weight: excitement, surprise, urgency, even delight. But overusing it can turn every sentence into a shout, making your prose feel frantic, childish, or insincere.

Why We Overuse Them

In our texting and emailing world, exclamation points have become the go-to signal for friendliness. A quick “Thanks!” feels warmer than a flat “Thanks.” Social media has only fueled this habit — with every short post fighting to convey tone without the benefit of voice or facial expression, punctuation has picked up the slack.

The problem? What works in a casual message doesn’t always translate well to professional or creative writing. Readers expect fiction and nonfiction to engage them through word choice, pacing, and imagery — not constant punctuation fireworks.

The Dulling Effect

An exclamation point is meant to elevate a sentence. But when you use too many, they lose impact. It’s like having someone yell in your ear for an entire conversation — eventually, the volume fades into background noise, and nothing feels exciting anymore.

Consider:

• Overuse: She grabbed the letter! She tore it open! She gasped! She ran to the door!

• Balanced: She grabbed the letter. Tearing it open, she gasped — then ran to the door.

The second version allows natural variation in tone and rhythm, making the moment more gripping.

Trust Your Words

Strong verbs and concrete details do the heavy lifting that exclamation points often try to do alone. Instead of “He shouted angrily!” you could write “His voice cracked as he slammed the table.” The image does more than the punctuation ever could.

When to Use Them

Reserve exclamation points for:

• Moments of genuine surprise or alarm

• Sudden bursts of enthusiasm

• Punchlines or lighthearted exchanges in dialogue

Even then, one exclamation point is enough. Resist the urge to double or triple them — it rarely adds anything except a sense of amateurism. You’ll also lose scoring points with MWSA reviewers.

A Quick Test

After you finish a draft, do a search for “!” and ask yourself:

1. Does this moment truly need a burst of heightened emotion?

2. Could the feeling be conveyed more powerfully with stronger words instead?

If the answer is “no” or “yes, it could,” cut the mark.

Bottom line: The exclamation point is a spice, not a staple. Use it sparingly, and your writing will sound more confident — and when you do unleash it, your readers will feel it.

From Field Notes to Fiction: Turning Military Experience into Storytelling Gold

Every veteran has a story. Some are heroic, others heartbreaking—but all are worth telling. Whether you’re writing a novel, a short story, or creative nonfiction, your military experience gives you a unique lens through which to explore universal themes like courage, sacrifice, and resilience. But how do you turn those raw memories into compelling prose?

This week, we’ll help you bridge the gap between real-life service and unforgettable storytelling.

1. Start with the Truth

Before crafting fiction, jot down true stories or events that stand out—combat missions, boot camp memories, emotional reunions, or even humorous mishaps. These are your "field notes." Authentic details provide emotional weight and credibility, even if you later fictionalize them.

💡 Tip: Carry a pocket journal or use your phone to capture memory sparks when they come.

2. Identify the Emotional Core

What emotion drove the moment? Fear? Brotherhood? Grief? Focus on that feeling and build the story around it. The military is full of emotion hidden beneath professionalism—and that tension makes for powerful drama.

3. Create Composite Characters

You don’t have to name names. Combine elements of different real people into fictional characters. This allows freedom and protects privacy while preserving authenticity.

🎖️ Example: A hard-nosed drill sergeant who secretly writes poetry can be a memorable character drawn from multiple real-life inspirations.

4. Build a Narrative Arc

True stories don’t always follow a satisfying structure. Your job as a storyteller is to shape events into a clear beginning, middle, and end. Even loosely connected vignettes need momentum.

📘 Read: Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried to see how memoir and fiction blend into thematic storytelling.

5. Use All Five Senses

Let readers feel the weight of the rucksack, hear the rattle of the Humvee, smell the diesel fumes. Specific, concrete details bring your world to life.

6. Decide: Fiction or Nonfiction?

Creative Nonfiction: Stick to true events but write them like a novel—with scene, dialogue, and description.
Fiction: Let your imagination run, using real events as a jumping-off point.

Both have value. Choose what feels truest to your voice and your mission.

7. Join a Community

You're not alone. Many MWSA members have made this journey from service member to storyteller. Our Beta Reader Program and award-winning authors can help you hone your craft and find your audience.

Final Word

Your service was unique. Your story should be, too. Writing can heal, inspire, and preserve a legacy. So dust off those field notes—and start turning them into storytelling gold.

Types of Narration

Since it's been a while, here's a new tip

Writers’ Education Program

Spend a few minutes looking over our Writer Education pages and watch one of our recorded Zoom sessions to sharpen your skills as a writer.

https://www.mwsadispatches.com/writers-education

You’ll also find useful slide presentations of some or our earlier offerings.

Good luck and keep writing!

Want to put song lyrics in your next book?

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How many times have you listened to a song that brought back pleasant memories or transported you back to a place or time in your own past? If a song can set your own personal scene, maybe it’d be the perfect thing for you to use in your next book to help transport your readers to a particular place and time.

Over the years, MWSA has received several of our members’ books that have incorporated song lyrics to one degree or another. If you’re thinking that all you have to do is attribute the songs to the band that you remember playing the song… you might need to think again.

MWSA doesn’t pretend to be expert enough to provide legal advice to our members, but you might want to read this article (or do your own Google searching) before you take the plunge.

Just click on the image above. If the image doesn’t take you to the website’s blog article, copy and paste this link into your browser:

http://blog.bookbaby.com/2018/11/lyrics-in-books-your-questions-answered/

Writing Dialog by MWSA Author, John Schembra

A few words about writing dialogue, folks.  First, I am by no means a professional editor, but what I am is an avid reader and author of five books.

I know writing dialogue is difficult but, if we are to be good writers it takes a lot of effort to keep the story moving smoothly, logically, and continuously.

So here's the rub;  if the dialogue is stinted, overly verbose, or not natural sounding it slows the pace of the story while the reader (me) fights his way through it. Sometimes I have to read it a couple of times to make sense out of it. 

That is definitely a main reason why I lose interest and tend to stop reading the book.
When I write dialogue I picture the scene in my head and put myself in the place of the character speaking.  I think "How would I say this?" then have an out loud conversation with myself and hear how it sounds.  Does it run on?  Is it realistic, common speech?  Are there contractions needed? Does it help the flow of the plot?

If the answer to any of those questions is no,  I will rewrite it until it meets that criteria.
Don't forget-It is OK to use common slang and curse words, as long as they fit the scene and are not just gratuitous. Instead of saying "I am going to go to the crime scene" why not say "I'm gonna go to the scene," thereby eliminating the excess verbiage and keeping the story moving at a good pace.  The reader will easily be able to figure out where the character is going. Besides, not many people talk without using common contractions.

When using curse words, keep in mind the who are the readers of your work and make those words age appropriate to the reader AND the speaker. The words should provide emotion to the dialogue and scene and not be gratuitous.

Last point:  You do not have to identify the speaker by name EVERY time he or she talks! If it is a somewhat long or complicated conversation, remind the reader who is speaking by using an identifying phase, such as "Detective Jones took a deep breath and said..."

In conclusion, remember, you may have a great plot and great characters, but without writing good dialogue you just might lose your reader, who might write a poor review of your work, and none of us want that.

[Copied from Booktown.com]